While the further delay to in-person Right to Work (RTW) checks has been welcomed by the industry some are calling for a permanent switch to digital processes. The move to extend digital RTW check has been made alongside the extension of Covid restrictions in the UK, but Steve Smith, managing director EMEA, Sterling, believe the practice should continue: “With Covid restrictions in the UK remaining in place past the original cut off date of 21st June, this extension of digital RTW checks is a necessity in our view,” he said. “However, while the Home Office has stated that in-person checks will resume in September, Sterling is keen to see a more permanent review of the existing process.
“Getting the Right to Work share code process in place over the course of the pandemic has been incredibly valuable for employers,” he explianed. “In some instances it has streamlined RTW checks and has the potential to make some procedures more robust. In fact, we’ve witnessed organisations build digital and biometric identity checks into their screening programmes which decreased the potential for identity fraud, and any steps to drive compliance should certainly be welcomed and embraced more broadly.
“While there are circumstances that will necessitate in-person verification in the future, we would be disappointed to see the hard work that has gone into the digital solution over the last 18 months go to waste. It is our hope that the government and the Home Office use this extension period to consider how a hybrid approach to in-person and digital checks could work.”
