Important changes to the right to work check rules and guidance have been brought in on 6 April 2022 and employers need to keep up to date with them. By carrying out a compliant right to work check on all employees before the start of employment, employers can protect themselves from hefty civil penalties of up to £20,000 per illegal worker as well as reputational damage.

Businesses that hold a sponsor licence should also be aware that carrying out compliant right to work checks is now one of their sponsor obligations and failure to do so could jeopardise their sponsor licence. When the Home Office visits a sponsor to carry out an audit they generally check what right to work processes are in place and whether these are sufficiently robust.

Right to work checks are often seen as a purely administrative task but the consequences of getting the checks wrong can be serious (and expensive) so it's worth investing the time and energy into getting them right first time round.