The Government has launched an open consultation, closing on 10 December 2025, on extending right to work checks to the “gig economy” and to those employing temporary and casual workers and sub-contractors.
Under the Plan for Change, the Government has pledged to restore order to clamp down on illegal working. Immigration Enforcement teams have already increased their operational activity across the UK to stop illegal working, with a 63% increase in illegal working arrests (8000) and a 51% increase in raids (11,000) between October 2024 to September 2025, with over 1050 migrants encountered on raids returned or deported. The plans being considered in the consultation are another part of this clamp down.
Through its Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, the Government is seeking to strengthen enforcement of the right to work rules. It will extend the requirement to carry out right to work checks to cover the gig economy and include those who engage casual or temporary workers under a worker’s contract, individual sub-contractors and online matching services (that provide details of service providers to potential clients or customers for remuneration) in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons, courier services and warehousing. The current sanctions for non-compliance, which includes fines and imprisonment, will also be extended.
The consultation seeks views on:
- how this change should be operationalised and enforced
- how processes can be simplified to make it easier for employers to fulfil their responsibilities.
Businesses are asked in the consultation to share their experience and views on the current processes they use to check right to work entitlements, the preferred methods of doing so, where they obtain guidance on doing so from and whether they believe the introduction of this law will impact their business.
