Employers and landlords of illegal migrants in Britain will face hefty fines under new plans being drawn up by the Home Office. The measure, which has been touted as an attempt to deter dangerous Channel crossings, will see current penalties triple.
Describing the ability to work and rent in the UK illegally as a “significant” incentive, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said increasing fines will make it “harder for illegal migrants to work and operate in the UK.” He added:
Unscrupulous landlords and employers who allow illegal working and renting enable the business model of the evil people smugglers to continue.
Barely a day goes by now without the Conservative government, fearful of a humiliating 2024 general election defeat, announcing new measures to stop illegal migration. But after 13 years in power, the party has proved itself capable only of issuing tough rhetoric and, at best, sloppy results.
If the new plans for penalties go ahead, the maximum fine for employers of illegal migrants will rise in 2024 from £15,000 to £45,000—per worker. Fines for landlords will rise from £1,000 per occupier to a maximum of £10,000. Penalties could be harsher still for repeat offenders.
The Home Office said that these fines were last reviewed in 2014, meaning they had become thoroughly out of date. On the need for a shake-up, the department said that illegal working and occupation “undercuts honest employers, puts vulnerable people at risk of exploitation, cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment and defrauds the public purse.” Many more such measures can, in talk, at least, be expected in the coming months.
