Two businesses in Strathaven are facing substantial fines for hiring workers without the correct UK visas.
UK Border Agency (UKBA) officials visited both the Taara and the Manzil restaurants in the Scottish town on the evening of July 22nd. They took the action following earlier intelligence reports and questioned staff to see if they had the correct UK visas and documentation to be working in this country.
Following the checks and interrogations, the UK immigration officials found four Indian men working illegally at Taara and two Indian men and one from Pakistan working illegally at Manzil.
Phil Taylor, regional director of the UK Border Agency in Scotland and Northern Ireland, commented: "We are absolutely determined to stamp down on those businesses that ignore our immigration laws. Any employer who takes on foreign nationals without permission to work in the UK is breaking the law, undermining law-abiding businesses and faces fines of up to £10,000 per illegal employee.
"If people ignore our immigration laws, we will find them and remove them from the country."
None of the men had any right to be working in this country and the restaurants are both now facing fines for hiring them. They have already been served with civil penalty notices, but if it is found that they failed to conduct the correct legally-required UK immigration checks before hiring the men, they could also face monetary fines. The Taara could pay up to £40,000, while the Manzil faces a fine of £30,000.