Fines For Illegal Working To Triple From 13 February 2024

Ch-ch-ch-changes! The Home Secretary's announcement of its intention to increase maximum fines for employers caught employing individuals without lawful immigration status ('illegal workers'), back in August 2023 was covered in our blog post here. The implementation of the new civil penalties regime is now almost upon us.

This post will cover when the new civil penalties regime will come into force, how it will apply, the steps that will be taken by the Home Office where an employer is considered liable for a civil penalty and the steps an employer can take in such a situation.

A Reminder of the New Civil Penalty Changes

Currently, the civil penalty for employing an illegal worker is a maximum of £15,000 per illegal worker, where this is the employer's first offence. If the employer is a repeat offender, the maximum fine increases to £20,000 per illegal worker. It has been around 10 years since an increase in fines, with the current amounts having been brought