IMMIGRATION
Employers face new fines
for illegal working
he Home offi ce has Customs and UKvisas providing business competition and the minimum
T
announced new tough a tougher, highly visible policing wage and deprives the economy of tax
rules, businesses must presence at Britain’s ports and airports; and National Insurance contributions.
source migrant labour and These proposals will help ensure we
through legal means or Compulsory ID cards for foreign close down illegal working and develop
face severe penalties as nationals allowing us to know who is routes for employers to recruit legally
part of its comprehensive programme to here and what they are entitled to. the foreign workers they need to grow
reform Britain’s immigration controls. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said of their businesses.”
the new civil penalties:
The Government is setting out new “By stamping out illegal working we The Government today also published
measures to prevent illegal working are making the UK a less attractive a Statement of Intent setting out a new
following a consultation with UK destination for illegal migration. approach for licensing employers or
businesses. Under a new system of civil colleges who wish to sponsor migrants
penalties, employers who negligently “The new civil penalties are a more for visa applications. Under the Points
hire illegal workers could face a effective way of dealing with employers Based System employers and colleges
maximum fi ne of £10,000 for each who use slipshod or exploitative will need a license in order to sponsor
illegal worker found at a business. If recruitment methods. Together with migrants. To earn and hold a licence
employers are found to have knowingly the introduction of compulsory identity they must agree to fulfi l certain duties.
hired illegal workers they could incur cards for foreign nationals next year,
an unlimited fi ne and be sent to prison. there can be no excuse for not checking Employers will need to understand
the identity of those applying for jobs. how these changes, under the Points
These measures, which take effect in Based System and the new civil
February, will make it easier than ever “By working together with employers penalty regime, will affect recruitment
before for employers to carry out checks and others we have developed a system and employment practices. To build
and for the Border and Immigration that delivers the migrants the UK awareness the Government is also
Agency to deal with non-compliance. needs, but which also keeps out those launching a national press advertising
that it does not.” campaign today and has enhanced the
The civil penalties form part of the employment verifi cation scheme for
biggest immigration shake-up for forty Chris Gillespie, HR Director of NCP employers.
years, sitting alongside a programme of Services, said:
changes that will ensure the system is fi t The Border and Immigration Agency
for the future. Other the next 12 months “We employ staff from more than 100 undertakes regular enforcement
the Agency will also introduce: nations so we often see people who operations against illegal working
do not have the right to work in this throughout the UK. Last month 49
An Australian-style points based country trying to gain employment with people were arrested in a single raid
system to make sure only workers with very convincing forged documents. We in Chinatown, while an operation in
the skills to benefi t Britain’s economy work closely with the Home Offi ce to Gateshead led to ten arrests; and 14
come to the UK; ensure our processes and procedures people were arrested after an operation
A single border force bringing together are kept up to date. at a restaurant in Ipswich. In 2006
the Border and Immigration Agency, alone, the Agency carried out over
“Illegal working cannot 5,200 illegal working operations and
be tackled by the removed more than 22,000 people
Recent research we carried out found that many small busi-
Government alone and from the UK.
nesses are still failing to capitalise on the possibilities of the
it’s every employer’s
£30bn e-commerce market.
duty to ensure that they The new measures are part of a broader
conduct the proper package of proposals introduced to
Of close to 400 businesses surveyed, nearly half that want an
checks on prospective toughen border controls, increase
online shop don’t yet have one. The internet is the only place employees. enforcement activity and enhance
where small businesses can compete with global organisa- joint working with police and other
tions, but too many businesses are put off selling online by the “Illegal working Government agencies in order to
perceived complexity and expense of online shops.
exploits vulnerable tackle illegal immigration and its
people, undermines fair consequences.
P
40 | THEPROMOTA www.thepromota.co.uk
ppromotamagazine_issue12.indd isabelle corrected.indd 40romotamagazine_issue12.indd isabelle corrected.indd 40 330/11/2007 21:50:100/11/2007 21:50:10
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