ACS

Businesses must source migrant labour through legal means or face severe penalties, the Home Office has announced, as part of its comprehensive programme to reform Britain's immigration controls.

Under the new system of civil penalties, employers found to have inadvertently hired immigrants who do not have the legal right to work in the UK could face a fine of £10,000 for each illegal worker. Those employers found to have knowingly hired illegal workers face even stiffer penalties: they could incur an unlimited fine and be sent to prison.

These measures, which take effect in February, will make it easier than ever before for employers to carry out checks and for the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) to deal with non-compliance.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said of the new civil penalties: “By stamping out illegal working we are making the UK a less attractive destination for illegal migration.

“The new civil penalties are a more effective way of dealing with employers who use slipshod or exploitative recruitment methods. Together with the introduction of compulsory identity cards for foreign nationals next year, there can be no excuse for not checking the identity of those applying for jobs.”


Read more about the illegal working plan and consultations on BIA's website.

Learn more about employing immigrant workers.