New Right to Work Checks

Today the ‘Right to Work Scheme‘ has been extended to include certain contractors, sub-contractors and gig economy workers. It requires businesses to conduct compliance checks on the immigration status, and thereby right to work, of those affected individuals (s.48 Border Security, Asylum & Immigration Act 2025 and Border Security, Asylum & Immigration Act 2025 (Commencement No.4) Regulations 2026). A failure to do so risks enforcement action and civil penalties of up to £60,000. Despite perceived duplication with existing licensing authority checks, as it stands, this obligation still falls on businesses within the licensed taxi and private hire trade.