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To avoid misuse of the UK immigration system, the Home Office has launched a new digital identity-checking system for landlords and employers. The technology will make it faster, safer, and more convenient for landlords and employers to carry out right to rent and work checks,’ according to a news statement released on the UK government’s official website.
The new system will take effect on April 6, 2022, and certified identification service providers (IDSPs) will be allowed to conduct right-to-work and right-to-rent checks on behalf of UK and Irish nationals using Identification Document Validation Technology (IDVT).
According to the Home Office, IDSPs will allow people to verify their identity remotely and confirm their ability to work in the UK and rent housing, lowering the cost of recruitment and renting processes. The same procedure is being used for DBS pre-employment checks in the meanwhile.
Employers and landlords will reap the rewards.
Because people utilizing IDSPs will no longer have to physically inspect documents, the Home Office says that the new digital identity-system will “reduce the working time and hours spent by landlords and employers making checks.”
IDSPs are expected to be able to conduct right-to-rent and right-to-work checks on behalf of landlords and employers at scale — for example, when many new employees get hired.
UK immigration minister, Kevin Foster, said: “Online checks make it quicker, easier and more secure for employers and landlords to carry out right to rent and right to work checks and stop those looking to abuse our immigration system. Plus, the new system will better support remote working practices.”
Julia Lopez, the Minister of State for Media, Data, and Digital Infrastructure, said: “We are determined to seize the potential of new technology to boost the economy and make people’s lives easier.”
Source: workpermit.com
