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Brighton businesses face £30,000 fines
12 September 2013
Three businesses in Brighton could be fined up to £30,000 following operations by Home Office immigration enforcement teams.
Acting on intelligence, officers visited Nisa Local Convenience Store, Al Amin Exotic Foods and Taj Mahal Supermarket on Wednesday 11 September. Individuals were questioned to check if they had the right to be in the UK.
Officers entered Nisa, The Highway, at 11.10am and arrested a 26-year-old Indian man who had overstayed his visa.
They then moved on to Al Amin on Lewes Road at 12.55pm, where they arrested a Bangladeshi man, aged 29, who had entered the country illegally.
Finally they visited Taj Mahal, Bedford Place, at 2.55pm where they arrested a 23-year-old Pakistani man who was working in breach of his visa conditions.
All three men have been placed in immigration detention pending removal from the country.
The businesses were served notices warning that fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker will be imposed unless they can prove that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out.
Ceri Williams, from the Kent and Sussex Home Office Immigration Enforcement team, said:
'The message to employers in Sussex who choose to use illegal labour is clear. We will catch you and you will face a heavy penalty.
'Illegal working is not a victimless crime. It defrauds the taxpayer, undercuts honest employers and cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.
'We are happy to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be made on staff, but those who break the law should know that they will face heavy fines.'
To find out more about how to avoid employing illegal workers visit our page on preventing illegal working, or call the employer's helpline on 0300 123 4699.
Contact details for Home Office immigration teams in London and the South East can be found in the about us section of this website.
Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 or visit the Crimestoppers website.