Currently, employers may check the right to work online using the job applicants ‘share code’ or by checking the applicant’s original documentation. They may also use the Home Office’s Employer Checking Service to check an employee’s or job applicant’s immigration status.
Positive feedback about the ability to make right to work checks remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic led the Home Office to review specialist technology which might be available to further support digital checks to be made in the future. This comes with awareness of the increased uptake of hybrid and remote working.
From 6 April 2022, digital identity document validation technology (IDVT) will be introduced to support employers with right to work and pre-employment DBS checks. This means an employer could enlist the support of a certified IDVT service provider to carry out digital identity checks for them.
What the change aims to achieve
- To allow those job applicants and employees in scope to verify their identity remotely, prove their eligibility to work and apply for DBS checks. Using IDVT will allow them to upload images of their personal documents, instead of presenting physical documents to a prospective employer – reducing time and mitigating risk.
- To allow private sector IDVT service providers to become independently certified by UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited assessors to ensure the technology used meets the Government Standards and the applicant’s data is protected.
Therefore, companies that want to provide this service to employers would need to become “certified” under the UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework which was due to be available for applications in January 2022. It is currently expected that the process would take between 4 and 8 weeks, so it may not be ‘overnight’ that many businesses will be offering this service.
Further information
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