An Indian restaurant in Wales is facing a fine of £40,000 after a raid by UK immigration enforcement officers revealed 36-year-old and 38-year-old men were working there illegally.
The UK government revealed that both of these men are sought by the Home Office and had previously been ordered to report to the UK immigration enforcement department while these issues were dealt with.
The same UK immigration officers also discovered a 28-year-old man working illegally in a phone shop in Carmarthen. According to officers, the man is a failed asylum seeker who currently does not have permission to work in the country.
As a result of the discoveries, the immigration officers have served both businesses with referral notices that warns of a £20,000 penalty per illegal immigrant if they are unable to prove their right to work in the UK.
This proof could be in the firm of providing evidence that appropriate right-to-work document checks were carried out before they were hired, such as viewing a passport or a document confirming right to work signed by the Home Office.
Commenting on the arrests, Richard Johnson of immigration enforcement in Wales said: “We are happy to work with businesses to explain the simple pre-employment checks needed to establish a person’s right to work in the UK, but to those who choose to ignore the rules the message is clear — we will find you and you will face a heavy financial penalty.”