Home office extends virtual right to work checks
13 May 2021
- The Home Office has updated its guidance to confirm that employers will not have to return to physical right to work checks until 21 June.
- Previously the guidance stated that physical right to work checks would return on the 17 May in line with step two of the roadmap out of lockdown.
- Following the update, until 20 June employers can continue to carry out checks via video calls and job applicants and existing workers can send scanned documents or a photo of documents rather than sending originals
- From 21 June 2021 physical checks must take place however, retrospective checks will not need to be undertaken for any employee who previously had an adjusted check due to Covid-19
- Further guidance as to what the right to work process will look like after the Grace Period ends on 30 June is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Aspire Comment:
These changes will be welcomed by employers who may not have returned to ‘on site’ working and who would otherwise have needed to make arrangements to obtain original documents, despite still working in a limited capacity. The extension will mean that the new checks fall in line with Stage 3 of the roadmap out of lockdown in which we hope that lockdown restrictions will be lifted and workplaces will begin to return to return to some normality.