The end of Covid-adjusted Right to work checks: what changed?

By Tony Machin | February 17, 2022 | Compliance, HR & Recruitment, Right to Work

From 6th April 2022, the Home Office introduced a permanent digital Scheme enabling employers and recruiters to use Identity Service Providers (IDSPs) to conduct remote identity checks for Right to Work (RtW) on their behalf. From 1st October this replaced Covid-adjusted checks.

Why did this change of legislation happen?

In March 2020, employers were given temporary guidance to allow them to make remote identity checks and onboard staff remotely, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent work from home order.

However, as the world returned to a new state of normal and people are returning to the office, the Home Office announced that from 30th September 2022, the temporary adjustments ended. Since 1st October 2022, an employer has to choose either in-person checks or remote digital checks for those applicants who are eligible. The pandemic brought a shift in the way some organisations work and with many employees continuing to work from home, this permanent digital Right to Work check Scheme option was welcome news to many.

So, what are the changes to Right to Work checks?

• After 6th April, the Government digital check Scheme was introduced as an option for UK & Irish citizens with in-date biometric passports

The new Home Office digital standards for Right to Work checks are based on the Good Practice Guide 45 (GPG 45). The Scheme requires employers and recruiters to partner with an Identity Service Provider (IDSP) who in turn will be required to meet a medium level of confidence (MLoC) for digital Right to Work checks.

The new digital Scheme is only be applicable to employees in possession of an in-date biometric UK or Irish passport.

• Non UK citizens with an eVisa

There are no changes for holders of eVisas who can be checked remotely through the online Home Office checking service. However, it’s important to note that from 6th April, you can no longer accept Biometric Resident Permits and Biometric Residence Cards as evidence of Right to Work and have to ask for a sharecode.

• For everyone else

From 1st October, you will need to make physical document checks for everyone without an in-date UK or Irish passport or eVisa. For example, this would include holders of out-of-date UK passports or someone presenting a birth certificate and NI number.

So, what does this mean for you?

Employers need to considering their onboarding process, based on their applicants, internal processes and risk profile. If you choose to onboard staff remotely and your applicants have an in date UK or Irish passport, you can work with an IDSP to conduct a digital Right to Work check. After 1st October, you can choose to return to face to face original document checks for all applicants or introduce a mixture of face to face checks and remote checks for those who are eligible.

How can we help?

Many organisations are excited about the new scheme, including us! These latest changes bring many positives to the Right to Work process including speeding up onboarding, improving the candidate experience and giving organisations increased protection against identity fraud.

At TrustID, we are one of the first certified IDSPs. Our Right to Work service was certified in June 2022. If your applicant has an eVisa, you can already check that through our services or go directly to the Home Office online checking service. Our service can also check other eligible ICAO documents if you want additional peace of mind when you’re seeing those face-to-face.

You may be concerned about finding a reliable, affordable supplier. At TrustID, we offer affordable and reliable Right to Work checks to businesses of all sizes and across all sectors. We offer RtW checks on pay-per-check basis – so you don’t need to worry about paying for more than you need. Our user accounts also have no set-up fees or user license costs. What’s more, TrustID’s team of experts can get your account set up within hours and provide you with straightforward services that require very little training.

When you offset the small per-check charge against the convenience that remote identity verification services offer, and the increased confidence you’ll gain from performing checks that align to the new requirements, we’re sure you’ll feel it’s a good investment.

Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more about our Right to Work checks, please visit our page here.

Click here to contact us!