Under a new system of civil penalties (effective from February 2008), the Government has announced that employers who negligently hire illegal workers could face a maximum fine of £10,000 for each illegal worker found at their business. If employers are found to have knowingly hired illegal workers they could incur an unlimited fine and be sent to prison.
Over the next 12 months the Border and Immigration Agency will also introduce:
- an Australian-style points based system “to make sure only workers with the skills to benefit Britain’s economy come to the UK”
- a single border force bringing together the Border and Immigration Agency, Customs and UK visas
- compulsory ID cards for foreign nationals
The Government also recently announced that, under the points based system, employers and colleges will need a licence in order to sponsor migrants. To earn and hold a licence they must agree to fulfil certain duties.
To build awareness of these new measures, the Government has launched a national press advertising campaign and has enhanced the employment verification scheme for employers.