UK employers have legal obligations to carry out certain pre-employment checks when hiring people to work in the UK. People professionals play a key role in ensuring compliance with these obligations.  

In this factsheet 'hiring checks' refers to the mandatory and recommended checks and steps employers must follow before confirming an appointment.  

The factsheet outlines the introductory elements of:

  • mandatory right to work checks 
  • mandatory criminal and baring checks (for some roles)
  • examples of optional checks, plus,
  • additional considerations for UK employers around immigration status and sponsorship.
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