You must be joking!

[amcveigh200]

just looked into changing jobs today.
I was told there is a new employment law in place as from 29th feb to stop illegal workers.
To be employed after 29th feb the applicant must provide a full birth certificate or passport. Or if you're not British, a permit card ect.
I don't have a passport because I have young children and do not intend taking them abroad for many years yet. I don't have a birth certificate, because it was issued many many years ago and I don't know where it is and have never needed it.
The only ID I have ever needed or used is my driving licence (photo id version)
So to stop illegal workers it would appear that all British residents are also stopped if they don't have the above. Unless they pay £72.00 for a passport in appx 5 weeks, or travel all the way across the country to the registry office that issued their birth certificate to get a new one.
Has anyone else heard of this stupidity or have I got it wrong?
And people complain unemployment is so high.

[ToyCrazyUK]

Didn't know that was new. I had a take my birth certificate to both the places I've worked and that's going back nearly 20 years.

[amcveigh200]

It's new as in enforced. The employer faces a 10,000 fine and or 2 years in prison if they don't have a copy of their employees original documents. I remember when the only thing needed was my bank details. Then years on it was a driving licence and now it's birth certificate (full) or passport. All because we have so many illegal workers. The point being, what about the british that don't have a passport or birth certificate?

[shezz]

I'm not 100% sure but think it is only if you come over to this country to work, I work for a company that employs a lot of foreign people and we can be fined if we dont have documentation to prove that they are entitled to work in this country, we dont need it if they are uk residency

[raindropsies]

I'm not 100% sure but think it is only if you come over to this country to work, I work for a company that employs a lot of foreign people and we can be fined if we dont have documentation to prove that they are entitled to work in this country, we dont need it if they are uk residency


Shezz that is correct in your post.

Only effects foreign nationals that enter this country to work. It's been on the news a lot recently.

If you are a British citizen, then you will not be affected in any way shape or form.

[amcveigh200]

The company I spoke to were so convinced that a Photo driving licence was not enough that they told me about the new law, and insisted that the Home office has told them they must obtain a passport or birth cirtificate, so I checked online and every reference I've come across has stated the company is correct. Maybe they're wrong and I hope they are, but I can't find anything to say they're wrong. Does anybody know a website that might show the company is wrong and infact the home office does not insist on these documents from British citizens?

[buzzbeez_place]

It's a mess, isn't it. But I was taught by my parents many decades ago that my birth certificate was a very important document and don't lose it!. You can get a certified copy and when you do hold on to it and teach your children to do the same.

[raindropsies]

Ignorance no excuse for employing illegal … (http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/article/default.aspx?objid=47230) Click on ignorance, it will tell you it is just for migrant workers.

[Gothicina]

Unless they pay £72.00 for a passport in appx 5 weeks, or travel all the way across the country to the registry office that issued their birth certificate to get a new one.


You can order a copy of your birth certificate online at th GRO, it normally takes less than 2 weeks, although you can pay for a priority service if you need it faster. As you go through the ordering process they usually give you an expected delivery time.
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/faqs-birth-death-marr.asp


Q1. I was born in England / Wales. How can I order a copy of my birth certificate?
To order a copy of your birth certificate online you will need to follow the instructions on our application page and supply any information that you are prompted for. You will also need to supply information relating to yourself as marked by the mandatory fields. This will help us to find and produce the correct entry.

It's £7.00 if you have the GRO Index Reference or £10.00 if you don't.
You should still be able order certificates from the office that originally issued it, that can be done by post, most regions have websites with more details on how to apply, BUT, a lot of them nowdays will redirect you to the GRO.

[merlin]

i don`t have passport any more don`t have driving licence as i never learned lol don`t have bc as i was lost in fire years ago my only id is marriage licence and bank card not even any utility bills are in my name pmsl i had real trouble just getting a bank account lol my wife had to come with me and her boss writ a letter for me as i have known them years

[papagran40]

HI , I am not sure what to think about this issue , but if it is a case of stopping firms USING or EMPLOYING ILLEGAL workers ( at a cheap rate )..I think it must be a good thing....as for a lot of people who have lost their BC there is no reason why they cannot get a replacement...yes it might be a nuisance having to go to somewhere out of your local town...but if needed you have to go....just heard on the news just now...MILLIONS OF POUNDS lost due to fraud ...and I am not saying it is all because of illegal workers...but this Passport or BC would certainly help to reduce a lot of the problems...
..so , I think I would be in favour of this ....
when you think about it....If you went for a job , had all the qualifications ( papers ) and were told , sorry we have just started someone who has just arrived in UK ( illegally ) what would you say or do then ??.
,.. Papa.

[minx41]

I have my BC, passport, driving license, I even have my identity card that was issued during the war (just gave my age away, but I'm young at heart). When my daughter needed her birth certificate (which she had lost) to get a job in Mexico I applied to Somerset House in London by post and for a fee got one without any probs. :D

[ohhpretty]

I have had to apply online for both my BC and my marriage certificate ( I think i ripped it up in a fit of temper) , neither were expensive and both came very quickly.
I don't have a driving licence or a passport so sometimes ID can be a problem for me.
But I know that employers (my OH being one of them) have welcomed the enforcement of this...he has had many issues over employing non resident workers ,some of whom have stayed well beyond their visas, it has caused his company major headaches in the past.
Now I keep all my important documents in a fireproof lockable box,whats the betting I lose the box,lol

[amcveigh200]

Of course everyone who has a birth certificate and Passport will think the new law (if they accept it as true) is fantastic. But it's not always straight forward to obtain these documents and we wouldn't need to if it wasn't for the illegal workers! Anyone that is lucky enough to have a day off during the week and catches an episode of Jeremy Kyle will hear that in his opinion those who do not work are scum. But my point is, now the Home office is not allowing anyone from getting a job unless they have a passport or birth certificate, surely unemployment levels can go only one way?! I understand that people don't beleive this law is real, but all I can say to those people is, try and get a new job now, see how far you get without a passport or birth certificate.