Right to Work Checks - A Bite Size Guide for HR Professionals

Introduction

It is an offence to employ an individual in the UK who does not have the legal right to work here, and employers found to be employing anyone illegally may be subject to a civil penalty (or in more serious cases where the employer knowingly employs someone illegally, there may be criminal sanctions).

Employers will have a defence against paying the civil penalty (known as a ‘statutory excuse’) if they have carried out right to work checks in line with Home Office guidance when on-boarding new recruits.

The Home Office guidance has been updated several times over the last few years and the civil penalties for employing illegal workers are due to be tripled from 2024. This will, therefore, be an area of renewed focus for UK employers across all sectors.

This short webinar will ensure that those responsible for, or involved in, carrying out right to work checks understand the latest Home Office requirements.

Consideration will be given to how and when to carry out the various different types of right to work checks, the importance of getting them right and the consequences of getting them wrong.

The session will also include practical advice on how to deal with some of the common tricky issues which can arise and how to make sure staff across the organisation are aligned and up to speed on how to carry out checks correctly.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• The different types of right to work checks
• When to use manual and online right to work checks (and the ‘View and Prove’ service)
• Using the employer checking service
• Using an Identity Service Provider (IDSP)
• How to deal with some common tricky issues which can arise
• The consequences of failing to carry out right to work checks correctly
• Practical tips for making sure right to work checks are carried out correctly across your organisation

This webinar was recorded on 20th November 2023