Most businesses worldwide, including those in the UK, usually hire skilled professionals from abroad to help fill in-demand skills gaps that are not available locally, thereby increasing innovation and creativity. Hiring overseas professionals also enables companies to tap into the global talent pool, access top talent, and gain a competitive advantage in the international market. After recruiting foreign workers, ensuring every employee has the legal right to work in the UK is a critical responsibility. Right to work training helps Human Resources (HR) teams and employers understand the legal requirements for verifying a candidate’s immigration status before making a hiring decision. With the UK immigration rules tightening in 2025, UK businesses must conduct proper right to work checks and keep up with the Home Office’s updated compliance standards. This article explains right to work training for UK businesses, including the UK employer’s responsibilities, the application process, and how companies should hire foreign specialists legally.
What Is Right to Work Training for UK Businesses?
Right to work training for UK businesses is a course that teaches employers how to legally verify a prospective employee’s right to work in the UK. It also helps employers avoid significant fines and legal issues. The training covers where employees need checks, how to conduct them, and the implications of Brexit and other regulations. The right to work training also covers procedures for verifying identity documents, understanding visa types, and keeping accurate employment records. It’s a necessary part of a company’s compliance with UK immigration laws, ensuring they do not employ individuals who do not have the legal right to work in the UK due to their immigration status.
UK Employer Responsibilities
Under UK law, all employers must verify prospective workers’ right to work in the UK before employment begins. This obligation applies to British citizens and overseas workers. The UK employer responsibility immigration policy requires HR teams to:
- Conduct initial right to work checks before employment begins.
- Keep copies of your employees’ verified documents in a secure and auditable system. You can use an identity service provider offering Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) for British and Irish citizens. For non-British/Irish citizens, you can carry out their right to work check manually or through the Home Office online right to work check.
- Conduct repeat right to work checks on employees with time-limited permission to work, keep track of their visa expiry dates, and perform a new check on or before the expiry date.
- Stay updated on any rule changes from the Home Office.
Employers who neglect their duties risk civil penalties for each illegal worker, which can be up to £45,000 for a first offence and £60,000 for repeat offences. This penalty system helps the UK’s system prevent illegal working and applies when an employer fails to perform the necessary right to work checks on their employees.
Step-by-step Guide to Right to Work Checks in the UK
As an employer or HR department seeking to recruit foreign workers to join your workforce, you must adhere to certain steps to ensure your prospective employees qualify for the jobs they will do for your business. You can conduct a manual document-based right to work check or an online Home Office right to work check. The vital step-by-step guide you must take in the right to work checks includes:
- Obtain official identification and immigration documents of your employees, such as passports or shared codes issued by the Home Office (if you’re using the Home Office online right to check option).
- Check the validity and authenticity of the documents to know if they match the prospective or existing employee. You must ensure that names, dates of birth, and visa conditions match employment eligibility.
- Create clear copies of documents and record the date the check was completed. Ensure the documents are in a format that cannot be easily manipulated and keep them securely for the duration of employment and an additional 2 years.
- Schedule a follow-up check before an employee’s visa expires to maintain compliance.
How UK Companies Should Hire Foreign Specialists Legally
Recruiting global talent benefits UK businesses by filling critical skill shortages. As an employer or HR department, to legally hire foreign specialists or overseas workers to join your workforce in the UK, you must do the following:
- Apply for and obtain a sponsor licence from the Home Office to hire non-UK nationals under visa categories, such as the Skilled Worker Visa, Health and Care Worker Visa, or a Global Mobility Visa.
- Conduct a right to work check to verify whether the employee is legally permitted to work in the UK.
- Assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to the eligible prospective overseas workers or foreign specialists. The CoS is an electronic certificate that confirms your willingness to employ the overseas worker to fill a job vacancy. It contains the job description, salary, unique reference number, and working time regulations.
- The foreign specialist will then apply for the specific UK work visa that’s best suited to their purpose of entering the UK for work. They must meet various requirements for the visa they intend to obtain.
- Maintain accurate records of visa statuses and work permissions for audits. This helps you avoid penalties if a later audit reveals that an employee doesn’t have the right to work. Immigration lawyers can assist you in hiring overseas workers and ensure you comply with the Home Office immigration standards for foreign recruitment.
Conclusion
As the UK immigration rules change periodically, right to work training in the UK is not optional; it’s essential. As an employer or an HR department, you must ensure that every recruitment decision you make aligns with current regulations to avoid avoidable penalties. By investing in ongoing HR compliance right to work training, your company can hire overseas workers with confidence. This safeguards your company’s reputation and aligns fully with Home Office regulations. A well-trained HR team can be the foundation of lawful and sustainable recruitment in a global workforce, as you’re looking to fill the in-demand skills gap and access the best talent to gain a competitive advantage in the worldwide market.
