Lack of flexibility in Right to Work checks will not help economic growth, according to APSCo

Responding to the news that the Home Office will be returning to pre Covid Right to Work checks from 17th May Tania Bowers, Legal Counsel and Head of Public Policy at The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) comments:


“It’s disappointing that the Home Office has decided to return to the position of employers needing to see original documents to undertake verification checks from 17th May rather than retaining the Covid remote video checks that have worked well over the last year for a longer period. We hoped that the Home Office would prioritise the expansion of digital checks, currently only available for checking EU settlement, a process more suitable for the modern world of flexible work. There has been a huge amount of time and effort that has gone into adapting the Right to Work verification processes in a remote environment and to return to pre-pandemic systems that do not retain the flexibility that is needed in a hybrid working environment will not help organisations during this recovery period.



“The short deadline for the return to these in-person checks is also a concern for APSCo and its members as, to date, businesses are expecting the “work from home if you can” advice to remain in place into June. In light of this, most organisations are planning a wider return to the office from June onwards in line with Government timeframes to further relax restrictions. To introduce these face-to-face/original document verification checks when people are still working remotely and offices are not open is simply unworkable and will only add further unnecessary burdens on already struggling businesses. We will be addressing these concerns with the Home Office directly.”

Ends

Press contact

Vickie Collinge

vickie@blueky-pr.com

01582 790705