08 July 2009

Men caught working without UK visa or work permit in Tain raid

Six men have been detained for allegedly working without a work permit in the UK following a raid on two fast-food shops in Tain.

The UK Border Agency said they acted on information to raid the Tain Fast Food Club in Stafford Street and the Kanisha in St Duthus Street, and steps would be taken to remove the six men from the UK as soon as possible.

Staff documents were checked and a Bangladeshi man and a man from Pakistan were detained at the Tain Fast Food Club.

The Kanisha was closed after four men from Bangladesh were discovered allegedly working without a UK visa or work permit, leaving no one to operate the restaurant.

Both businesses were served with notices of potential liability after Friday night’s raids, an agency spokesman said.

If the employers are unable to provide evidence that legally-required checks were carried out before the staff were hired, they could face a fine of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker.

Phil Taylor, regional director for the UK Border Agency in the Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “We will not tolerate illegal working which threatens to damage our communities, and will act on intelligence to target those businesses which ignore the rules and remove those with no right to be in the UK.

“The UK Border Agency works with employers so they understand the rules, but they have a responsibility to carry out the right checks before they employ migrant workers.”

The operation comes at a time of major reform to the UK immigration system.

The UK Government is introducing a points-based system for managing migration to the UK, ensuring only those with the skills that the UK needs or those on the UK shortage occupations list are allowed to work here.

Civil penalties for businesses which fail to carry out the proper checks when employing migrants from outside Europe were introduced by the government last year and the agency has started naming employers who have been fined on its website.

 

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The UK Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in UK visas and immigration services.