Right to Work checks going back to in-person

From 17^th May, Right to Work checks will be reverting back to being carried out in person instead of the remote video checks that were put in place due to Covid.

However, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) believes that this lack of flexibility is ‘disappointing’ and won’t help organisations during this recovery period.

Tania Bowers, Legal Counsel and Head of Public Policy at APSCo, explained, “It’s disappointing that the Home Office has decided to return to the position of employers needing to see original documents to undertake verification checks from 17th May rather than retaining the Covid remote video checks that have worked well over the last year for a longer period.”

Tania added, “We hoped that the Home Office would prioritise the expansion of digital checks, currently only available for checking EU settlement, a process more suitable for the modern world of flexible work. There has been a huge amount of time and effort that has gone into adapting the Right to Work verification processes in a remote environment and to return to pre-pandemic systems that do not retain the flexibility that is needed in a hybrid working environment will not help organisations during this recovery period.

“The short deadline for the return to these in-person checks is also a concern for APSCo and its members as, to date, businesses are expecting the “work from home if you can” advice to remain in place into June. In light of this, most organisations are planning a wider return to the office from June onwards in line with Government timeframes to further relax restrictions. To introduce these face-to-face/original document verification checks when people are still working remotely and offices are not open is simply unworkable and will only add further unnecessary burdens on already struggling businesses. We will be addressing these concerns with the Home Office directly.”

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