NORWICH UNION HOUSE, SOUTH PARADE, OLD MARKET SQUARE, NOTTINGHAM, NG1 2LH, ENGLAND
- Tel:
- Work 0115 958 7444
- Fax:
- Fax 08081 681500
- DX:
- 10032 NOTTINGHAM
- Web:
- www.cartwrightking.co.uk
- Email:
THE FOCUS IS ON ILLEGAL MIGRANT WORKERS
The UK Border Agency has issued fines to companies across the East Midlands over the past year for employing illegal workers. In Derbyshire alone, seven companies have paid fines amounting to over £60,000 and the number of fines handed out is sure to rise if businesses are not adhering to regulations
The Agency has concentrated its efforts on investigating and checking employers considered to be at high risk of employing illegal migrant workers, carrying outraids on restaurants, shops, nail bars and car washes across the region. As a result the issue of immigration law has been brought to the forefront of a lot of employers’ minds.
The Government introduced changes in February 2008, building on those of 2002, which places greater responsibilities on employers to prevent illegal migrants working in the UK. The changes essentially shifts the burden of carrying out certain immigration checks from the Home Office to the individual employer with very serious civil and criminal penalties for failure to comply with this legislation.
Rachel Harvey/David Smith, Immigration specialist at leading Midlands law firm Cartwright King said “Businesses are finding the system complicated. There are now much tighter rules and regulations for foreign workers and employers, but the message needs to be reinforced that if they do not carry out these checks properly there could be financial and legal consequences”.
He/she added “It is imperative that employers carry out the necessary checks on all employees to protect themselves and to establish a statutory defence against the civil penalty by checking, copying and retaining a specified combination of original documents”.
For more information please visit www.cartwrightking.co.uk
