The government has announced the first certified providers for digital identity checks to establish candidates’ right to work in the UK.
A partnership between the Post Office and secure digital ID app Yoti has been named as the first digital identity service provider (IDSP) to be certified by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, allowing organisations to complete the digital identity verification element of the right-to-work check for British and Irish citizens who hold a valid passport.
Digital right-to-work checks were introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic to help speed up recruitment when physical checks of employees’ documents were not possible. However, after much lobbying from the recruitment sector and employers, in April the government made digital checks a permanent option.
The Post Office and Yoti will provide identify verification online, in-person at Post Offices, and via a digital identity app.
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John Abbott, chief commercial officer at Yoti said: “Under Right to Work legislation, the maximum fine for hiring illegal workers is £20,000 per worker, which would have a dramatic effect on a business. Ensuring employees are legally permitted to work is essential.
“Being one of the first IDSPs to be certified shows our commitment to the market and is a testament to the quality of our digital identity technology.”
Elinor Hull, identity services director at the Post Office, said: “At a time when the hospitality and retail sectors in particular are struggling to recruit and get staff onto the shop floor, having the ability to digitally check candidates’ right to work speeds up the recruitment process, is more secure and could enable them to start sooner than if the candidate has to travel and then have their documents photocopied and physically checked.
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“There’s additional reusable benefit too for employees, particularly useful for those in the gig economy or those undertaking more seasonal work and frequently changing employer – once created, their EasyID can prove their right to work to each employer in seconds.”
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