Ensuring your workers are eligible to work in the UK

Introduction

Some people are automatically entitled to work in the UK. Others may have restrictions on how long they can stay, whether they can work or the type of work they can do.

All employers in the UK have a responsibility to prevent illegal migrant working. You must therefore check the entitlement of everyone you plan to employ to work in the UK.

If you fail to do this, you may be liable to pay a civil penalty. If you knowingly employ an illegal migrant worker, you may face criminal prosecution, which could result in an unlimited fine and/or a maximum two-year prison sentence.

This guide will tell you how to comply with the laws on checking the entitlement to work in the UK.

It also covers the points-based system - the way workers from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland can legally come to the UK to work.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Checking a prospective worker's entitlement to work in the UK
• Those who don't need permission to work in the UK
• Employing those who need permission to work in the UK
• Employing workers from EEA countries in Eastern Europe
• Compliance checks and penalties for immigration offences
• Here's how migrant workers contribute to our workforce
• Here's how we check the entitlement of our staff to work in the UK
• Here's how we support our migrant workers

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