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Checks on foreign-born workers could see businesses become 'pseudo immigration officials'


16th August 2007

Plans to punish companies that fail to check whether non-British employees have a legal right to work in the UK have come under fire from small business owners.


Companies could face fines of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker under proposals announced earlier this year by immigration minister, Liam Byrne. The Government’s consultation period into the prevention of illegal working came to a close on 7th August 2007.


It is estimated that some 500,000 illegal immigrants are working in the UK. Employers could even have to check passports or birth certificates of British-born workers to ensure the employees aren’t lying about their legal right to work here.


The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warned that owners of small businesses would have to carry out the checks, and they often do not “have the relevant expertise or sufficient time” to devote themselves to the task.


Under the Home Office proposals, people seeking to work in the UK would need to find sponsoring employers and apply for work permits before leaving their own countries. Employers failing to carry out due diligence could be removed from the list of approved sponsors.


Kieran O’Keeffe, policy adviser at the British Chambers of Commerce, says:


“The compulsion to check documents such as passports and birth certificates represents an additional pressure on small businesses that don’t have dedicated HR support. Great care needs to be taken to ensure that small businesses, already struggling with the UK’s rising regulatory burden, are not punished for lack of resources.”
The largest group of illegal immigrants in the UK is thought to be North Americans, who tend to work unchecked because it is assumed they would have entered the country legitimately.