You may have seen the government’s announcement that the adjustments to right to work (RTW) checks introduced on 30 March 2020 as part of the response to coronavirus (COVID-19), would finally end on 30 September 2022.
The end date for the temporary adjusted checks had previously been deferred several times to 30 September 2022 and was deferred for a final time earlier this year. This followed the government’s announcement enabling the use of Identification Document Validation Technology (IDVT) from 6 April 2022 by employers carrying out digital checks on British and Irish citizens who hold a valid passport.
From 1 October 2022, employers now must carry out one of the prescribed checks before employment commences, as set out in guidance.
These checks are:
- a manual right to work (RTW) check (physically seeing and verifying the original documents in person)
- a right to work (RTW) check using IDVT through the services of an identity service provider (IDSP)
- a Home Office online right to work (RTW) check
Conducting any of these checks will provide employers with a statutory excuse which is a defence against a civil penalty (currently up to £20,000 for each illegal worker).
To comply with the new requirements, we have partnered with ID-Pal. ID-Pal are an Identity Service Provider (IDSP) who use IDVT to provide us with a fully compliant digital right to work (RTW) check service for British and Irish citizens with a valid passport or an Irish Passport Card. ID-Pal use IDVT to:
- confirm a prospective employee’s identity
- check their ID is valid or authenticate the ID being submitted
- confirm that the document belongs to the employee which verifies their identity
What has changed in our day to day operations?
As a result of adopting the digital right to work (RTW) checks, we are no longer able to accept copies of British Passports & Irish Passports or Passport Cards. Instead, workers will be sent a secure link to access the ID-Pal system. They will be able to upload their passport or passport card to ID-Pal and they will also need to take a “selfie” to verify their likeness against the submitted document.
Holders of other passports will still be able to submit copies, and these will be verified by a Home Office online right to work (RTW) check using a share code.
How IDVT helps employers with right to work (RTW) checks
With increased remote and hybrid working, the Government hopes that using IDVT for right to work checks will support safer recruitment and onboarding, introduce consistent and more secure verification methods and reduce risk for businesses.
This technology for digital checks will be essential to help businesses comply with Government regulations, to fight against fraud and ensure that all identity checks, whether face to face or not, are carried out with the appropriate level of confidence.
There is much more information on the changes of right to work (RTW) documents and a full explanation of ID-Pal on the link below. We would highly recommend that you read this and see why it is so beneficial for us all to join the world of Digital RTW checks.
https://www.id-pal.com/right-to-work-changes-uk-employers-need-to-know/
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