New legislation which will punish employers for hiring illegal foreign workers has come into force today, ironically a day that finds us all working for free, or proposing to our loved ones.
New rules under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act, mean that if employers are found to have knowingly hired illegal workers they could face an unlimited fine and be sent to prison for up to two years.
Businesses caught employing illegal workers could face a £10,000 on the spot fine. Previously the maximum was £5,000.
As far as I can tell, there isn’t much being said about how these new rules will be policed?
Fine, the burden is on employers and HR teams to check the legal working status of employees, but hasn’t that always been the case?
As an employer, it is in your best interest to ensure that who you hire is the most suitable candidate and that should include their legal working status.
So the message is carry on as normal, do the necessary checks, chances are, you probably won’t get a visit from the immigration agency in any case.
Of course we may, in time, see future government moves to send out wardens in packs, just like our friendly and discretionary parking wardens, to issue on the spot fines.
My guess is that they would also eat in packs down at the local Bangladeshi-owned curry house, killing two birds with one stone...A £10,000 fine and a curry to go please!
