Immigration Enforcement Officers can turn up announced or unannounced at any employer’s premises to check whether they are employing any illegal workers and look at the right to work checks they carry out.
Employing an individual who does not have the right to work in the UK can result in, amongst other things:
- a civil penalty
- imprisonment for up to 5 years and an unlimited fine for anyone who knew or had reasonable cause to believe that the employee did not have the right to work
- the employer being “named and shamed”, which is likely to cause serious reputational damage and negatively impact any future immigration applications
- disqualification of directorships
- if you hold a sponsor licence it may be suspended, downgraded or revoked
- the employer receiving a Compliance Order or an Illegal Working Closure Notice.
To avoid these risks, we can provide training to your staff on how to carry out compliant right to work checks. Please contact us to discuss this further.
