Two restaurants in Surrey are at risk of being hit with fines for employing illegal workers.
After receiving intelligence, Rose Valley Indian Cuisine in Guildford and Kebabish Original in Woking were both visited by Home Office officers at the end of last week.
The officers found a total of five people working in the restaurants who were not in possession of the correct UK work permits and immigration documentation. At the Rose Valley, a 25-year-old Nepalese man and a 34-year-old Bangladeshi man were arrested for overstaying their UK visas. In Kebabish, two Pakistani men were arrested for entering the country illegally. Another man was found to have been working illegally at Kebabish but he was not arrested.
Paul Smith, of the Thames Valley and Surrey Home Office Immigration Enforcement team, commented on the case: “Businesses in Surrey that follow the rules have nothing to fear, but those who either deliberately employ people with no right to work or fail to carry out the legally required checks on their staff should expect to face heavy financial penalties.
“Illegal working has a negative impact on communities. It defrauds the taxpayer, undercuts honest employers and cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.”
The businesses are now at risk of paying a total of £50,000 in fines, £10,000 for each illegal worker. To avoid these fines the restaurants will be required to produce proof that they carried out the correct right-to-work checks before employing the men.
Meanwhile, the men from Rose Valley have been transferred to immigration detention ahead of their removal from the country, while the two men arrested at Kebabish have been placed on immigration bail while their cases are put through the courts. They will also be at risk of being removed from the country if it is proven that they have no leave to remain.