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Huge fines for employing illegal workers take affect

29th February 2008, 12:50pm

Employers within the hospitality industry will face huge on-the-spot fines if they are found to be employing illegal workers, after a government shake-up of the immigration system came into affect today.

Firms will face a fine of £10,000 for each illegal employee under the new system, which the government is calling "…the biggest shake-up of the immigration system in 45 years."

Employers wishing to bring staff over to the UK from abroad will need to have a licence from today and no company will be allocated a licence without being approved by the Border and Immigration Industry (BIA).

Highly skilled and talented foreign nationals who want to extend their stay in the country will be scored using a points based system similar to that used in Australia.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith explained why employers should be following the rules: "Migrants benefit this country economically, contributing an estimated £6bn to our national output, as well as socially and culturally and it is right that we have a system which is fair but firm, accessible but controlled."

As the measures take effect, Liam Byrne the Minister for Immigration is urging employers to check the details of who they are employing: "New £10,000 penalties mean instant justice for those firms who try and undercut others by employing illegal immigrants. With the new compulsory identity cards for foreign nationals later in the year, there can be no excuse for not checking the identity of those applying for jobs."

Words Clare Riley 0 comments

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