In a report published last week, the Home Office identified the businesses receiving civil penalties for illegal working in moves to underscore their recent crackdown on rogue employers. This reflects the government’s “determination to appear ‘tough on immigration’”, said Ashley Stothard, immigration executive at national law firm Freeths.

In the enforcement action, the Home Office identified 558 illegal workers and fined businesses £18.5m.

In addition to the recruitment-linked businesses, those fined included restaurants, car washes, nail salons, convenience shops , construction contractors and garages among others.

“While tackling illegal working and exploitation is crucial, this initiative also demonstrates how easily the Home Office can target non-compliant businesses to highlight their enforcement actions,” Stothard said.

The recruitment-linked firms were:

• Max Life Recruitment, temporary recruitment agency, Blackburn, Lancs. Fined £15k.
• Pearson Anderson, temporary healthcare recruiter, Leics. Fined £10k.
• Personnel Recruitment Services (previously Medilink and Medilink Nursing), Pudsey, Yorks. Fined £10k.
• London Marriott Hotel Regents Park trading as Recruitachef, recruitment platform, London. £30k.
• Assured Group, Warwick. One of Assured’s divisions handles recruitment, workforce management, administration and contingency support. £55k. 

The full report is available here.

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