An Indian restaurant located in the South West was subjected to an immigration raid in January 2020.

The business was raided by officers exercising their powers under section 28CA of the Immigration Act (also known as an Assistant Directors Letter). During the search, 3 individuals were found and officers alleged that they were employed by the business. A £60,000 civil penalty notice was served on the alleged employer.

We conducted an in-depth investigation and identified that the authorities appeared to have abused their powers of entry and had acted contrary to the Equality Act 2010. We were also able to demonstrate that our client was not the liable party.

The illegal working civil penalty was cancelled.