Concern after raids (From Asian Image)

Concern after raids

10:00am Tuesday 6th May 2008

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Immigration raids across restaurants in the UK has sparked concern amongst owners that they are being unfairly targeted.

Four illegal migrants found working at Indian restaurants in the coastal resort of Rhyl and deported by the Border and Immigration Agency.

Similarly, nationals from Bangladesh, China and Malaysia were found in Plymouth following raids on restaurants there.

Spice Business Magazine editor Enam Ali said, "We accept that the Home Office is doing a good and necessary job in seeking out those who are working in the UK illegally.

"However, there are issues for restaurant owners that have to be addressed by the authorities.

"It is difficult for even the most diligent restaurant owner to confirm whether someone has a legitimate right to work in the UK.

"It is hard to check visa and national insurance validity, and fake passports and visas are not always easy to detect. To whom should restaurant owners be turning for help?

"The restaurant industry needs this help to make sure that they act in the proper way and do not get caught out by potential employees who cleverly disguise fake documents.

"Moreover, this help needs to be available instantly. A restaurant owner who delays employing a chef can easily find that he has gone elsewhere, such is the shortage of skilled chefs.

"The stakes are high. Under a new system of civil penalties and on-the-spot fines, employers who negligently hire illegal workers could face a maximum fine of £10,000 for each illegal worker found at a business, and ultimately the sanction is imprisonment and a criminal record."

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