Migrant Workers
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent irregular migrants working in the UK from accessing (a) social security benefits and (b) the NHS.
Answered by Dame Angela Eagle
Under UK legislation, access to work is reserved to those who are eligible and have lawful immigration status in the UK. All employers are required to undertake right to work checks before employing someone and can incur civil penalties of up to £60,000.00 per employee if found to be employing migrants without the right to work.
Irregular migrants are subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds policy which means they cannot access social security benefits, and nor can they access NHS treatment without charge. The Home Office operates data sharing arrangements with other Government Departments to confirm immigration status information to support eligibility checks.
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