Why Challenge?
If you consider that you are not liable to the imposition of a civil penalty, you believe that you have a statutory excuse, or that the imposed penalty is too high, you should challenge the civil penalty.
Continued enforcement activity
Information regarding a breach of immigration law can be passed to other government departments. This can result in recurring immigration visits and further intrusion from HMRC, and other government departments. Furthermore, if an employer can prove they are not liable to a civil penalty, this helps to build a picture of a compliant business.
Financial impact
The financial implications go further than just the civil penalty fine, especially if multiple penalties are served upon your organisation. The disruption to business, negative press, reputational damage and potential revocation or suspension of the premises licence (in relation to cases of illegal working) can create significant issues.
Criminal proceedings
If the Home Office can prove you had ‘reasonable cause to believe’ that an employee was disqualified from employment by reason of their immigration status they may bring criminal charges against you.
Contact us now for expert advice.
There are always grounds to appeal upon and it could save your business from paying unnecessary hefty fines later on. If you need support submitting an information request, objecting to an imposed penalty or submitting a court appeal, please contact one of our immigration team for a free consultation.
We have helped more than 130 businesses successfully challenge a civil penalty for illegal working as well as advising businesses on their immigration compliance.