UKBA attended one our client’s premises this week to carry out an audit to make sure they are carrying out their right to work checks and complying with their sponsorship duties.
This could have been anxious time for our clients however, fortunately for them, we carried out a mock audit a few months ago and we were able to identify all the areas that they were not complying with. We prepared a clear action plan for them to implement to make sure they complied with all UKBA requirements.
As our action plan was specific to their organisation, computer systems, HR department and paper files, they were able to follow our step by step guide easily to ensure compliance.
UKBA requirements for employers, is not rocket science.
In comparison, the work that each of our clients carry out requires much more technical skill and often industry based know-how.
However, talk to an HR department about the sort of questions that UKBA will want their HR personnel to know and the sort of procedures they want to see in place and this seems to raise the red alert.
This level of concern may not be too surprising given the hefty penalties UKBA impose if employers are found to be in breach of their duties – up to £10,000 fine, damage to their reputation and the possible disruption caused by losing key employees, perhaps on high profile or high value projects.
As with any type of assessment – preparation is key.
UKBA officer spent nearly 4 hours our client client’s office, making enquiries and reviewing their files. They found our client to be fully complyiant with their duties and did not find any areas for them to improve on.
On this visit, the UKBA officer seemed particularly interested in the migrant employees who were the dependant of PBS migrants. It is important for all employers to review that their right to work checks for all their employees meet UKBA standards.
It is not just Tier 2 (General) migrants that UKBA are interested in.
If you would like further advice about how to prepare for a visit by a UKBA officer or would like us to carry out a mock audit, please feel free contact us 0845 413 7000.
