Employer Compliance Essentials: Navigating the UK Right to Work Check Scheme

In this episode of The Inside Track, partner Grace Shie and counsel James Perrott break down the United Kingdom's right to work regime by which employers verify the work authorization or immigration permission of their workforce. Grace and James review the core verification routes, civil penalty and criminal offence framework, and available statutory defenses. They share best practices for navigating heightened enforcement—addressing sponsor license exposure, reputational risk, and what to do when instances of "illegal working" are identified. Finally, they assess the UK Government's potential extension of checks to contractors and gig economy workers, signaling the likely updates many employers will need to make to their workforce compliance programs.