02 November 2012
The Border Agency has recently reported that a West End restaurant is facing a fine of up to £80,000 after 8 staff members were arrested during a UK Border Agency raid.
Acting on intelligence, officers visited the Old Town 97 restaurant in Wardour Street, Soho, at around 7:00 pm on Saturday 27 October. They then carried out checks on staff to see if they had the right to work in the UK.
They arrested 8 employees for a variety of immigration offences. 3 Chinese men aged between 21 and 24 and a 47-year-old Chinese woman had all overstayed their visas, while 3 Chinese men aged between 23 and 43 were found to be failed asylum seekers. In addition, 1 Malaysian woman, aged 28, was found to be working in breach of her visa conditions.
All 8 were detained pending their removal from the UK.
The Border Agency has reported that the restaurant could now be fined up to £10,000 per illegal worker unless it can prove to the UK Border Agency that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out on employees.
Assistant Director Steve Fisher, from the UK Border Agency, said:
‘Our enforcement teams are out almost every day in London carrying out operations like this and where we find someone who is in the UK we will seek to remove them.
‘But we are also targeting employers who take on illegal workers. They are both fuelling illegal immigration and damaging the majority of legitimate businesses who play by the rules.
‘This is why we have the power to hit those who break the law with heavy fines.’ (Quote from Border Agency website)
Every year, the UK Border Agency imposes civil penalties on hundreds of companies which fail to carry out proper right-to-work checks on staff.
Most restaurants do not have a dedicated HR system that provides a service of recording migrants status but there are systems available. We offer a system which has been viewed by BIA inspectors and praised for its simplicity, clarity and ability to withstand the Sponsor Licence Regulations regarding reporting on migrant workers.
Contact us for further advice whether or not you have been fined we can help you today on 01634 828288.
