Employers will be able to rely on an online Right to Work Checking Service to demonstrate compliance with illegal working legislation.
The Home Office Right to Work Checking Service available on GOV.UK, gives employers access to up-to-date, real-time information about migrants' right to work, making it easier for individuals to prove their rights in the UK.
The Right to Work Checking Service is secure and free to use. It was launched in April this year, however until now, employers have still needed to request paper documents alongside using the service. The changes will mean that employers can use the online service to demonstrate they conducted the necessary right to work checks on migrants and avoid a penalty if they are found to be employing illegal workers.
Immigration Minister, Caroline Nokes said:
This is another step we are taking to simplify and modernise the immigration system. The online Right to Work Checking Service makes the checks simpler for employers and provides greater security as they no longer need to rely on physical documents when checking a migrant's status, further reducing the risk of forged documents being presented.
Above all, our new checking service makes it easier than ever for migrants to view and prove their right to work in the UK.
The service is voluntary for employers and individuals. Migrants may demonstrate their right to work using either the existing document check or the online check.
Individuals will be able to authorise their current or prospective employer to see information about their immigration status to conduct the check and will be able to see exactly what information will be shared.
The online Right to Work Checking Service can be used by non-EEA nationals who hold biometric residence permits or biometric residence cards and EEA nationals who have been granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. EEA nationals who have not been granted settled status under the EEA scheme will still need to demonstrate their right to work through the appropriate documents, such as their national passport, as now.
The changes being made today will also make it simpler for UK nationals without British passports to demonstrate their citizenship by enabling them to use short birth or adoption certificates, which they can get for free, instead of the long versions.
