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Right-to-work failures could bring £60,000 penalties for taxi and private hire operators, warns Home Office minister
Home Office minister Anna Turley told MPs that employers who engage workers without the required permission can face a range of sanctions, including fines, prosecution and action against taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licences.
Under section 15 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, an employer may receive a civil penalty for employing someone who is disqualified from the work by their immigration status. Turley said the penalty can reach “up to £60,000 per illegal worker”.
The right-to-work scheme was extended in October 2026 to cover additional working arrangements, including work under a worker’s contract, individual subcontracting and online matching services. Turley cited Uber drivers and delivery workers as examples. She said extended civil liability also applied to certain non-direct contractual arrangements for providing work or services.
Employers must ensure that people are permitted to carry out the work in question, including any restrictions on the type of work or hours they may undertake. Turley said an employer may establish an excuse against civil penalty liability by meeting prescribed requirements, including completing compliant right-to-work checks where required.
For taxi and PHV businesses, the consequences can extend beyond a financial penalty. Turley said illegal working could lead to “the review and possible revocation of a licence” in the taxi and PHV sector, depending on the circumstances and applicable legal requirements.
She also listed possible criminal consequences for illegally employing a worker: a conviction carrying up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine. Where migrants are exploited, she said, those responsible could face facilitation or trafficking convictions, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Other possible measures identified by the minister include closure of a business, a court compliance order, director disqualification, loss of permission to sponsor migrant workers and seizure of earnings made through illegal working. The range of sanctions means the impact on an operator could involve its ability to continue trading, as well as penalties tied to individual workers.
Turley’s remarks came during committee debate on proposed amendments that would have made company officers personally liable for illegal-working penalties in certain circumstances.
The Government rejected those proposals, saying it would focus on using existing powers and applying recent changes to the right-to-work scheme.
