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When should I carry out a Right to Work Check?

Right to work checks should be carried out before an individual’s employment begins.

If you are checking an employee’s right to work on their first day of employment, the check must be undertaken before their contractual start time and evidence of this should be retained.

It is good practice to make job offers conditional on the individual evidencing their right to work in the UK.

If an individual’s right to work is time limited, you should conduct a follow-up check shortly before it is due to come to an end.

Read more about this and other questions in our

Right to work checks and civil penalties section.

Disclaimer

Given the fast pace of change, we would stress that this information is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.

As a hub, we have included references to articles and explainers from third parties. We have no control over and are not responsible for the content, use by you or availability of those third party websites, for any products or services you buy through those sites or for the treatment of any personal information you provide to the third party.

Our immigration team

Flora Mewies

Flora Mewies

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Roisin Patton

Roisin Patton

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Gillian Burns

Gillian Burns

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Natalie Payne

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Leeds and Manchester

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