The government has extended temporary adjustments to right to work checks. The adjustments to checks employers must carry out for job applicants and workers with temporary permission to work in the UK will now remain in place until 5 April 2022, due to the ongoing risks posed by COVID-19.
These changes were brought in on 30 March 2020 and remain in place until the new extension deadline. The adjustments mean:
- checks can currently be carried out over video calls rather than in person;
- job applicants and existing workers no longer have to send original documents – they can instead send scanned documents or a photo of documents; and
- employers should use the government’s employer checker service if job applicants or prospective employees cannot provide employers with the accepted documents.
The Home Office announced earlier in the year that employers will not have to carry out retrospective checks once the COVID-19 adjustments end.
From 6 April 2022, employers will have to go back to checking original documents or checking the applicant’s right to work online, if the applicant has provided them with their share code. The Home Office plans to introduce a new digital right to work check service, which will cover more people than the current system (including UK and Irish citizens). This will enable a form of remote, but secure, checks.
