Right to work in the UK is in the news again with the latest politician falling foul of the rules. Yes, Mark Harper, Immigration minister has resigned for employing an illlegal immigrant as a worker.
It seems an appropriate time for a recap to our blog from back in 2012 on the subject of Working in the UK - employers responsibilities
But how can this happen? Any UK employer must ensure that its employees have the right to work in the UK. Failure to do so can lead to both civil and criminal penalties.
Where Mr Harper failed to comply was with an employee who initially was entitled to work in the UK but their right was a time sensitive one. What he should have done was to complete further checks on his employees right to work at subsequent dates when the original entitlement ended.
It is a stark lesson though and one where employers, particularly those with less sophsticated HR procedures, can either fail to complete adequate checks or fail to follow up
The Border Agency website contains a raft of useful information for employers on preventing illegal workers
