This in from the UK Border Agency. In their own words – Ed.
Businesses on the Isle of Wight are facing potential fines worth thousands of pounds for employing illegal workers following operations by Home Office immigration enforcement officers.
Three Isle of Wight locations
Acting on intelligence, officers visited Totties, High Street, Cowes; Costcutter, Granville Road, Totland Bay, and Monsoon Indian Restaurant, High Street, Ryde yesterday (Thursday 28 November). Individuals were questioned to check if they had the right to be in the UK.
At Totties, which was visited at 3.30pm, officers arrested at 39-year-old Turkish man on suspicion of working in breach of his visa conditions.
A 20-year-old Bangladeshi man who was working in breach of his visa conditions was arrested at Monsoon, which was visited at about 5.55pm. A 37-year-old man from Bangladesh who had entered the country illegally was also found to be working but not arrested.
Finally, officers visited Costcutters at about 6.20pm. There, they arrested a 48-year-old Sri Lankan man who was a failed asylum seeker.
Action taken
The 20-year-old man was transferred to immigration detention pending removal from the country.
The Turkish man currently remains detained while he is questioned by immigration officers, while the Sri Lankan national and 37-year-old Bangladeshi man have been placed on immigration bail while their cases are progressed. All three also face removal from the country if found to have no leave to remain in the UK.
The businesses were served notices warning that a civil penalty of up to £10,000 per illegal worker found will be imposed unless proof is provided that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out. This is a potential total of up to £10,000 each for Totties and Costcutter and £20,000 for Monsoon.
“Follow the rules – have nothing to fear”
Carla Johnson, from the South Central Home Office Immigration Enforcement team, said:
“Businesses on the Isle of Wight that follow the rules have nothing to fear, but those who either deliberately employ people with no right to work or fail to carry out the legally required checks on their staff should expect to face heavy financial penalties.
“Illegal working has a negative impact on communities. It defrauds the taxpayer, undercuts honest employers and cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.
“I would urge members of the public with information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.”
Guidance to companies
Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/business-sponsors/preventing-illegal-working/ or they can call the Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.
For more information and contact details for Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams in London and South visit: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/your-region/lse-ice/.
Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
Image: ukhomeoffice under a CC BY 2.0 license
