REC Campaigns for Digital Right to Work

In March 2020 the Home Office introduced a temporary change to allow right to work (RTW) checks to be conducted digitally during the coronavirus pandemic. This move was well received by employers and the recruitment industry as it allowed RTW checks to be conducted safely and efficiently during the course of the pandemic. Thousands of candidates have benefitted from the change over the last 18 months and the REC has been a key advocate in ensuring the adjusted checks remained in place throughout the pandemic and beyond.

The checks were originally planned to be in place as a temporary measure, and the Home Office had planned, on several occasions over the last year, to return to the in-person checks as mandated in the Home Office's standard RTW guidance. The return to in-person checks was originally planned for 17 May 2021, but this has been delayed several times, first to 21 June, then to 31 August and now to 5 April 2022. On each occasion the REC has campaigned and lobbied for the extension to ensure checks can remain as efficient as possible while the country dealt with the ongoing effects of the pandemic. We have worked both alone and with other organisations, including CBI, APSCo, and a number of recruitment industry leaders to press for these changes. Over the last 18 months, we have written letters to Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, Home Secretary, and Chris Philp MP, Minister for Immigration, to ensure these changes remained in place.

The fight on RTW does not stop here though, and the REC will continue to lobby the government to ensure a long-term permanent, digital RTW solution is implemented as soon as possible. The Home Office is currently undergoing a review of digital technology solutions, the results of which will be published later this year. As part of this review, the REC facilitated a roundtable between REC members and Home Office civil servants to offer feedback and opinions of the use of digital RTW. This was a vital opportunity for REC members to give their opinions directly to the Home Office.

Having a permanent digital solution as soon as possible is crucial to avoiding a return to the less efficient  in-person checks. This is one of the REC's top priorities over the next 6 months, and we will continue to keep members up to date with our work on this, and any opportunities they have to contribute to our policy planning and lobbying on this.