It is essential for employers to verify that individuals are legally authorized to work in the UK before hiring them. This guide explains the process of right to work verification and how to prevent illegal work in the UK. Organizations must have contracts with employment agencies to ensure data security and quality. When an employer needs information about the criminal history of an employment applicant or volunteer, they must obtain the appropriate level of verification for that person.
If the employee or volunteer is a foreigner, AccessNI may provide you with information about the person's criminal history. Asylum seekers are encouraged to volunteer while their application is being considered. The right to digital work will confirm the right of your candidates to work in the UK. This is achieved by confirming their identity after verifying the validity of their identity document and having performed a real-time facial recognition test by the candidate. Ukrainian citizens who do not have a valid Ukrainian passport must provide their biometric information at a visa application center to obtain entry authorization and then obtain permission to access the Ministry of the Interior's online verification service to demonstrate their right to work. It was updated to provide more guidance to employers on the right to work controls of EEA and Swiss citizens during the grace period (January 1 to June 30, 2020). As traditional hiring practices continue to evolve, driven in part by the development of technology, organizations must ensure that they follow pre-hire verification procedures that are both legal and ethical. Many organizations believe that having information about a candidate's criminal record will help them make a more informed hiring decision, regardless of whether the law requires them to carry out such verification, while some sectors and job functions, such as working functions with vulnerable adults in the care sector, will require organizations to perform a criminal background check before they can start working. To receive a certificate detailing an individual's criminal history, organizations can carry out checks through DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI, depending on the organization's location.
Even with the new guidelines provided by The DBS and the Home Office (202), employers have every right to continue to manually verify the identity of their candidates face to face. The specific checks required by an organization may include reviewing a person's background in areas other than work, such as identity, driver's license, address and credit check. To hire the most suitable employee, organizations must carry out appropriate and proportionate pre-hire checks to determine the suitability of the candidate. Every employer can ask a person to request a basic verification to demonstrate their unused convictions. Employers will need to carry out a follow-up check on Ukrainians with a limited-time permit to work in the UK, which should take place at the end of their 3-year leave. People must be treated fairly and consistently during hiring, with the same documentation requirements and verification process applicable to all people.
The type of position, the sector and the organization will help determine what specific controls are beneficial; for example, a credit check is likely to be necessary to determine suitability for a management position in a charity, but it may be considered unnecessary for a teaching position in the education sector. There is no automatic right to receive a referral from a former or current employer, except in the case of positions in organizations regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Because the selection of candidates focuses on their suitability for the job, many organizations carry out pre-employment checks to protect their company from any negative impact caused by hiring an individual.
