Employers who allow illegal immigrants to work for them face a five-figure fine under increased Home Office efforts to beat the small boats crisis.
Landlords who allow illegal immigrants to live in their property will also face the significantly increased financial penalties.
In a statement released on Monday, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said “unscrupulous” bosses and property owners are enabling the business model of “evil people smugglers to continue.”
“Illegal working and renting are significant pull factors for migrants crossing the Channel, where people smugglers will often use the promise of jobs and housing to lure people into making these journeys,” he said.
“Increasing fines will deter employers and landlords from engaging in these illegal and dangerous practices, further deterring people from attempting to come to the UK illegally.”
The hike in civil penalties will see employers liable to a maximum fine of £45,000 per worker for a first breach and £60,000 for repeat offenders, tripling both from the last increase in 2014.
Landlords face fines going from £1,000 per occupier to £10,000, with repeat breaches going from £3,000 to £20,000.
Penalties relating to lodgers will also be increased with landlords found to be housing illegal immigrants hit with £80 per lodger.
They also face fines of £1,000 per occupier for a first breach to up to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier.
Smuggling Business
Mr. Jenrick said that it was up to both landlords and employers to do appropriate checks to avoid being subject to fines.“Unscrupulous landlords and employers who allow illegal working and renting enable the business model of the evil people smugglers to continue,” he said.
“There is no excuse for not conducting the appropriate checks and those in breach will now face significantly tougher penalties.”
The Tory minister said those involved in illegal activity undercut honest employers, put vulnerable people at risk of exploitation, cheat legitimate job seekers out of employment, and defraud the public purse as the businesses and workers do not pay taxes.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said that penalties issued to firms employing workers illegally had fallen under the Tories by two-thirds since 2016 while arrests had also dropped.
“Strengthening penalties must be combined with stronger enforcement action if the government is serious about tackling the problems,” the Labour MP said.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael added: “Every day the country is subjected to another pointless announcement on the asylum system which will make no meaningful difference.
“A bolder fix is required by ministers, yet they are too arrogant to admit it.”
Immigration Taskforce
The Home Office will consult later this year on options to strengthen action against licensed businesses that are employing illegal workers.Since the start of 2018, almost 5,000 civil penalties have been issued to employers with a total value of £88.4 million.
Meanwhile, landlords have been hit with over 320 civil penalties worth a total of £215,500 in the same period.
The Home Office said on Monday that employers and landlords should already be checking the eligibility of anyone they employ or let a property to.
A spokesperson said a number of ways to do this are available and will not be changing with the increase in penalities.
Monday’s announcement follows a government crackdown on illegal working and renting after it launched a cross-government ministerial taskforce and reintroduced data sharing with the financial sector to stop illegal immigrants from accessing bank accounts earlier this year.
The Home Office previously said the Taskforce on Immigration Enforcement ensures “every available power across government is utilised to support law enforcement activity to identify and reduce illegal migrants in the UK,” and ensures only those eligible can work, receive benefits, or access public services.
Immigration enforcement activity has been stepped up with visits including those targeting illegal working, now at their highest levels since 2019, up 50 percent on last year.
According to Home Office data, more people have been arrested in 2023 than during the whole of 2022 as a result.
