Spotlight Currently On Illegal Workers Within The UK

With a spotlight currently on illegal workers within the UK, it has never been more important to ensure that you carry out the correct background checks on your staff.

In December last year alone more than 280 salons were raided and 97 illegal workers were arrested. This has lead to further investigation being made on individual salons at the beginning of 2017 in Dorset, Merseyside, Liscard and Southport.

Failure to carry out the correct checks on an employee who doesn’t have the right to work in the UK could result in a penalty fine of up to £20,000 per illegal worker. The consequences become even more severe if you are found to have prior knowledge. Even a ‘reasonable cause to believe’ that they don’t have the right could result in a five year jail sentence and an unlimited fine.

According to Gov.uk, when checking your candidate’s documents, you must ensure that what you are given is the genuine, unaltered, original documents. Any documentation that gives different names should be supported by additional papers such as a marriage certificate. You should also make sure to check that their date of birth and photo are consistent across all documentation and that their photo looks like the candidate in question.

Remember to check that the applicant has permission to do the job you are offering and that their right to work dates haven’t expired. You must also see evidence of their study and vacation times if hiring a student.

For further information on checking an applicant’s right to work documents, their failure to present the relevant papers and on the penalties you could face for employing an illegal worker, please visit the Gov.uk website.