Four individuals have been arrested for illegal working following a crackdown on such practices across the country.
Immigration officials from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) received information regarding people working without the required work permits or visas at the Tai Pan restaurant in the Blackstone Street of Liverpool.
They conducted a check on the staff at the restaurant and discovered a man from Malaysia and another from Eritrea working illegally. The Malaysian man is now being held in detention pending his removal from the country, while the Eritrean man is required to report to the UKBA regularly while his immigration case is resolved.
Meanwhile, a second Malaysian man and a British man were arrested on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration in a connected case.
The restaurant itself is also facing legal problems, and could be issued with a fine of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker employed unless it is able to prove that the legally required paperwork checks were conducted prior to hiring the individuals.
Alison Wray, head of enforcement in the North West for the agency, commented: "We will continue to track down those who have no right to be living or working in the UK yet remain here. This was a successful operation unearthing two immigration offenders. The message is clear if you are illegally working we will find you, we will catch you and we will remove you from the UK."
She added that the UKBA is also targeting "unscrupulous employers" who hire illegal workers. This is because doing so can undercut wages and potentially leads to the exploitation of vulnerable workers. "We are happy to work with businesses and advise what checks need to be carried out on staff, but those who break the law should know that they will face heavy fines," Ms Wray concluded.