The Home Office announced in December that it would be enabling employers to use certified digital identity service providers to carry out checks on British and Irish citizens with a valid passport.
Immigration expert Julie Moktadir, Partner at national law firm Stone King, says:
“The technology will enable prospective employees to upload images of their documents via a certified system, which will then verify their identity remotely and prove their eligibility to work, provided they have a valid British or Irish passport. Using this system would remove the need to present physical documents.
"Given the prevalence of home and hybrid working, this development will make it much easier for UK employers to bring on prospective employees that cannot easily travel to present their physical documents, including those living outside of the UK and Ireland.”
The technology will also be available to landlords carrying out right to rent checks and will align with the Disclosure and Barring Service’s (DBS) proposal to enable digital identity checking within their criminal record checking process.
The changes are due to take effect from 6 April 2022. More information is available at gov.uk
If you require legal advice, Julie can be contacted on 0800 111 4336 or at JulieMoktadir@stoneking.co.uk
Stone King is at Bateman House 82-88 Hills Road in Cambridge.