Important update for UK Employers and Employees: Right to Work Scheme from Oct 1: Book Sessions

LONDON July 7: From 1 October 2026, significant changes to the UK’s Right to Work Scheme will come into force, affecting how employers carry out right-to-work checks and comply with their legal obligations.

The government confirmed that new immigration law changes would take effect from 1 October, which widen employers’ duties to check staff have a right to work beyond traditional employment roles to cover workers’ contracts, individual subcontractors and online job-matching services.

The changes mean businesses engaging zero-hour, gig and agency staff, and companies operating platforms to match freelancers to clients, will need to carry out right to work checks – with an obligation for digital checks to be carried out through a certified and registered digital verification service provider.

Included in the new regime is the extension of civil penalty liability up contractual chains, meaning businesses will be held liable even if work is contracted out to a third party which in turn engages another party. As a result, companies would be responsible even if they have no direct relationship with an individual or know that person was working.

Civil penalties for employing a person without the right to work in the UK can reach £60,000 per worker.

To help employers prepare, the Home Office is running a series of free information sessions covering the upcoming changes, including:

✅ Changes to the Right to Work Scheme
✅ Digital immigration status and eVisas
✅ How to conduct compliant right to work checks
✅ When repeat checks are required
✅ Employer compliance, record keeping and avoiding civil penalties

The sessions will also cover the increasing use of digital immigration status and online checking services, and how employers can carry out compliant right to work checks to meet their legal responsibilities.

Who should attend?
The sessions are aimed at employers in the UK of all sizes and sectors, HR professionals, recruitment teams, staff responsible for conducting right to work checks, anyone involved in workforce compliance and onboarding processes

What will the session cover?
The event will provide clear and practical guidance on:
Changes to the Right to Work Scheme – recent and upcoming changes following the public consultation, which closed in December 2025, and what these changes mean for employers in practice.
Digital immigration status and eVisas – the transition from expired Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), increased use of online right to work checks, and which documents remain acceptable evidence of a right to work.
Completing a compliant right to work check – how to conduct checks correctly to establish and maintain a statutory excuse, including when employers should use the Employer Checking Service.
Repeat checks: when follow-up checks are required for people with time-limited permission to work in the UK.
Compliance and enforcement – how to prevent illegal working while avoiding unlawful discrimination, maintaining appropriate records, and reducing the risk of receiving a civil penalty.
Register for an event
The events take place online, and all sessions will cover the same content, so there is no need to attend more than one.

See details of upcoming sessions below: