All UK employers are required by law to make basic checks on every person they intend to employ, even when hiring from outside the UK. This is to establish that they have a right to work in the UK and are here legally.
These checks must be carried out on all potential employees.
You must see a passport and proof of address, i.e. utility bill or driving license, confirm that they are valid, and keep a copy of the documents along with a record of the date the checks were made.
If the person is a British national, they have a right to work in the UK and you just need to check their passport for proof. Otherwise, you will need to see other proof that they have a right to work in the UK.
For more information on this topic, please see the right to work page on the government website.
If you are applying to work within the UK, but are not a UK national, you should check HMRC’s website for visa requirements prior to travelling.
You can use the online checker on the Governments website to find out what type of visa you may require for working in the UK, along with details of the eligibility criteria and next steps to take.
As part of the Government’s visa process, you may be required to provide identification and evidence illustrating that you can financially support yourself during your stay.
If you are looking to hire domestic staff for your household, Stafftax can help. We work with hundreds of specialist domestic recruitment agencies across the UK, who can help to find the ideal candidate for your household role. Simply complete the short form here and a trusted domestic recruitment agency will be in touch to discuss your requirements.
Further information can be found on gov.uk website, or if you are a European citizen, you can call UK Visas and Immigration from inside the UK on 0300 123 2253, Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-4.30pm.
To contact UK Visas and Immigration from outside the UK, you can do this via their online form.
If you’ve never employed someone before, our exclusive Domestic Employer’s Checklist has been designed to make hiring household staff a little less daunting.
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Whether employing for the first time, or taking on a new member of staff, it is vital to have an understanding of your emolument costs from the outset.