Right to Work checks 2026: what UK employers actually have to do

Since the 2025 changes, almost every Right to Work check on a non-UK/Irish national runs through the Home Office's online service using a share code. The candidate generates the code from view-and-prove.gov.uk; you enter it alongside their date of birth.

British and Irish citizens can still be checked manually against an original passport, or via an Identity Service Provider (IDSP) using IDVT. Photocopies on file are not enough on their own — you need a record of the IDSP verification.

The statutory excuse — your defence against a civil penalty of up to £60,000 per illegal worker — only kicks in if the check is completed before employment starts and is recorded with a clear date. Late checks do not retro-cure liability.

For sponsored workers, run a follow-up check before the visa expires. Diary it the moment you issue the CoS. The single biggest cause of penalties in 2025 was missed follow-ups, not initial checks.

Keep records for the duration of employment plus two years. A simple folder per employee with the share-code PDF, the date you ran it, and the name of the person who ran it is sufficient — there's no prescribed format.