Tougher penalties to combat illegal working
16 May 2014 03:31 PM
Employers could now face
fines of up to £20,000 per illegal worker under new
legislation.
Measures introduced today (16
May) will make it simpler to check the immigration status of potential
employees and double the maximum penalty for employers who break the
law.
Repeat offenders who continue to
hire illegal workers will now face fines of up to £20,000 per
employee.
The changes also simplify the
process for genuine employers: reducing the number of acceptable documents they
may have to check, as well as the frequency with which these have to
occur.
Immigration and Security
Minister James Brokenshire said:
Illegal working is not a
victimless crime. It defrauds the taxpayer, undercuts honest employers and
cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.
These measures send out a strong
message to those who break the rules and hire illegal workers.
Through the Immigration Act we
are also making it easier to enforce the payment of these penalties through the
courts.
Measures introduced today
include:
- Reducing the range of acceptable
documents that employers may have to check
- Limiting the frequency of
follow-up document checks for most employees with limited permission to be in
the UK
- Doubling the grace period for
right to work checks for employees acquired as a result of a Transfer of
Undertakings (Protection of Employment) to 60 days
- Simplifying our guidance and
improving our support for employers
Illegal
working
To get tougher on employers who
break the rules, we are also doubling the maximum civil penalty for the
employment of an illegal worker to £20,000.
The increased maximum penalty
better reflects the harm caused by employing illegal workers, the costs to
wider society and the unfair economic advantage derived from the
activity.
The changes follow a public consultation in Summer 2013 and are
intended to support employers by ensuring they undertake the correct
immigration checks on their employees.
Employers have had a duty to
prevent illegal working since 1997 by carrying out specified document checks on
people before they employ them. Since 2008, this duty has been underpinned by a
civil penalty scheme and employers are now liable for a civil penalty if they
employ
Find out more and read
the full details of the
changes and the new requirements.