Plan to 'flush out' illegal workers

12 April 2012

Everyone who applies for a new job should be required to produce their birth certificate or passport as part of a tough new plan to "flush out" illegal immigrants, the Government said.

Even employers who report a worker they suspect is illegal could be hit with a fine of thousands of pounds under the proposals.

Immigration minister Liam Byrne announced proposals for a new system of civil penalties for firms which employ illegal workers, suggesting they should be fined up to £10,000 to cover the cost of deporting someone from Britain.

Mr Byrne said: "What we are proposing here will, I think, flush illegal migrants out.

"We are trying to create a much more hostile environment in this country if you are here illegally.

"We have to make Britain much less of an attractive place if you are going to come here and break the rules."

Employers could be told to treat all job applicants in the same way to avoid being accused of racial discrimination, meaning that everyone who applies for a job will have to produce official papers proving their nationality and their right to work in the UK.

Companies will be recommended to carry out checks on foreign employees at least every 12-months, but ministers denied the proposals would place a bureaucratic burden on employers.

The Home Office is to set up a network of 1,200 so-called compliance officers to carry out checks on firms at a cost of between £10 million and £20 million, Mr Byrne said.

A new telephone helpline for employers to get advice will also be piloted later this year.

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