Right to Work Checks for Workers and Contractors Certification

Right to work checks aren’t just for employees. Employers must also check workers, such as casual and zero-hours staff, and individual subcontractors, like app-based couriers. Online matching platforms must check the people they connect with customers. And in some situations, a business can be liable for illegal working by people it doesn’t engage directly, which is why right to work checks training matters for anyone who recruits or engages people.

Getting checks right matters. A check done properly before work starts gives you a statutory excuse, which is your defence against a civil penalty for each illegal worker, with higher penalties for repeat breaches. Checking selectively, or only checking people you assume are migrants, risks discrimination claims, where compensation has no upper limit.

This Right to Work Checks for Workers and Contractors course gives HR and L&D leads, recruiters, line managers and procurement teams the knowledge to check the right people, in the right way, before work starts. It covers who’s in scope, how extended liability works in contract chains, matching platforms and substitution, how to choose and carry out the right check, and how to keep records and schedule follow-up checks.

The course is based on Home Office guidance, which applies across the UK.

Key topics in our Right to Work Checks for Workers and Contractors course:

• Who counts as an employer for right to work purposes
• When labels like “self-employed” don’t decide whether someone is in scope
• Extended liability in contract chains, matching platforms and substitution
• The three requirements for a statutory excuse against extended liability
• Choosing the right check: manual, online or through a registered provider
• Carrying out and recording checks, including identity checks
• Follow-up checks, the Employer Checking Service and avoiding discrimination

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