Businesses in Newcastle upon Tyne are facing substantial fines after employees were discovered to be working without UK visas.
At Aagbar Indian restaurant in Consett, two Bangladeshi men were found to be working illegally. They have both been arrested and taken to Durham police station while procedures are put in place to remove them from the country.
Meanwhile, an Afghan man was found to be working without the correct UK visa documentation at the Sunniside Hand Car Wash in Newcastle upon Tyne itself. He has since been arrested and taken to Gateshead police station.
The arrests form part of ongoing efforts by the UK immigration authorities to crackdown on people working illegally in Britain.
Wallace Wilson, manager of the UK Border Agency’s local immigration team for the Tyne region, reminded employers that the agency’s rules on employing foreign nationals are clear.
Mr Wilson added: “Illegal working is not a victimless crime. It undercuts honest businesses and defrauds the treasury out of large sums of money.
“All our work is intelligence led. We would encourage anyone with genuine information about suspected illegal working in their community to get in touch.”
The fines for employing a foreign national illegally can be up to £10,000 for each worker. However, if a company can prove that it conducted the correct right to work checks before hiring the individual, it has a better chance of avoiding these fees.