While many people are tempted to take up paid employment on a student visa, or perhaps continue working in Britain following the expiration of their original UK visa, the risks associated with doing so can be high.
One 30-year-old man from Malaysia has recently learnt this the hard way, after UK Border Agency (UKBA) officials removed him from the country just ten days after officers initially discovered him working illegally at the New Moonflower restaurant in Dover.
A further three individual were also found to be working there illegally; they have since been placed on immigration bail while arrangements are made for their deportation.
While workers face the chance of being deported if they overstay their UK visa or take employment against the conditions of their residence, employers risk a hefty financial fine if they knowingly take on workers in breach of their immigration conditions.
The New Moonflower, for example, now faces a potential fine of £30,000 - £10,000 for each illegal worker – unless it is able to prove that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out before the individuals were hired.
These checks are as simple as asking for a passport of a UK work permit, but the government is becoming increasingly keen to crackdown on the hiring of illegal workers and will take swift action against those who are flaunting the law.