Businesses pay more for illegal workers
Published June 2010
The importance of carrying out pre-employment checks on the legal status of workers has been highlighted by the doubling of the cumulative fines paid by businesses employing illegal workers in 2009.
Last year the UK Border Agency (UKBA) issued 2,210 penalties, with fines of £22.1 million. This compares with total charges of £11.2 million in 2008, resulting from 1,164 penalty notices.
Following a penalty notice, employers have 28 days to prove they carried out the necessary checks to ensure workers could be legally employed. Otherwise, they face fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker.
Prior to the introduction of the £10,000 fixed penalty in March 2008, there were only 38 prosecutions for employing illegal immigrants.
