A restaurant in Rainham is facing a fine of up to £20,000 for employing illegal workers.
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) conducted a raid on the Raj Rani earlier this month (October 12th) and discovered two Bangladeshi men working in the establishment illegally.
The individuals were aged 21 and 30 and have since been arrested and placed in detention after it was confirmed that they had been working under expired UK visas.
It has since been confirmed that the 21-year-old has been removed from the country, while the 30-year-old remains in detention pending his removal.
Meanwhile the restaurant has already been handed a penalty notice for employing illegal workers and could be hit with the fine - £10,000 for each illegal worker. The restaurant will be able to avoid the additional cost if it is able to prove that it conducted the correct right-to-work checks on the individuals before employing them.
Jackie Fowler, head of the agency's local immigration team in Kent commented: “We gather intelligence about people who remain in the UK in breach of their visa conditions and we are taking action against those not entitled to be here.
“We are determined to crack down on illegal immigrants and anyone found living or working here illegally is liable to be detained and removed.”
The checks can be as simple as seeing a passport or Home Office document proving the workers' rights to be in the UK and confirming that they are entitled to paid employment. Help can be obtained from UK immigration consultants and the UKBA if companies are in need of further advice about the procedures regarding employing overseas workers, but such checks need to be conducted in order to avoid civil penalties and additional fines.