Key takeaways
- Employers must complete the check before employment starts, following current Home Office guidance.
- The method depends mainly on the candidate’s nationality and the type of permission they hold.
- A consistent, digital-first process can reduce the administrative burden for a small team.
Confirming a candidate’s right to work in the UK is an important step in hiring, and employers must complete the check before employment begins, following current Home Office requirements.
For a small business without a dedicated human resources (HR) or compliance function, the process can feel like an unfamiliar administrative task.
This guide explains what a Right to Work check involves and how digital checks work, with practical points for small businesses.
What is a Right to Work check?
A Right to Work check helps an employer establish whether a candidate has permission to work in the UK.
Employers typically carry out the check once a candidate has been selected but before their employment begins.
The method depends mainly on the candidate’s nationality and the type of permission they hold.
Some checks involve reviewing original documents, while others can be completed digitally.
For example, GOV.UK explains that a candidate with a share code can be checked online, and that an identity service provider can offer Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) for some checks.
British and Irish citizens cannot get a share code.
Why do these checks matter for small businesses?
A Right to Work check confirms that a candidate is eligible for employment, and a consistent approach helps a business treat every candidate fairly.
Inconsistent or last-minute checks can create unnecessary challenges for the business and for new hires.
Making the check a standard stage of recruitment can help a small business meet its requirements and grow its team with greater confidence.
“Making the check a standard stage of recruitment can help a small business meet its requirements and grow its team with greater confidence.”
First Advantage
How do digital Right to Work checks work?
Digital verification generally combines identity verification with electronic document checks, so eligible checks can be completed securely online.
For a growing business, this can reduce the administrative burden of manual document review and support a more consistent process across candidates.
Approved digital identity verification methods can be used to complete eligible checks.
Employers should follow current Home Office guidance when choosing the method for each candidate.
For more detail, read our guide to Right to Work checks for UK small businesses.
What does good practice look like?
Employers can keep the process manageable by:
- Completing the check before employment starts
- Retaining the evidence and records that the checking process requires
- Relying on documents that meet current requirements
- Applying the process consistently across candidates
For authoritative requirements, employers should refer to current Home Office guidance rather than relying on assumptions about what is acceptable.
How can Background Direct help?
Background Direct is First Advantage’s self-service screening platform for UK small businesses.
It is designed to help employers who may not have the time or resources to complete checks manually.
Key features include:
- A secure online platform for managing checks
- Self-service ordering, without long-term contracts
- Digital identity verification as part of the process
- Pay-as-you-go pricing, so businesses pay only for the checks they need
A typical digital check follows five steps:
- Register for a Background Direct account.
- Submit candidate details securely.
- Complete digital identity verification.
- Complete the Right to Work verification process.
- Review the results and continue the hiring process.
How can small businesses build a consistent process?
Making Right to Work checks part of a standard recruitment workflow, rather than handling them case by case, can help small businesses build a more consistent and efficient hiring process.
As a business grows, a repeatable, digital-first approach to screening can make onboarding easier without adding administrative strain.
Background Direct is designed to support this structured approach by combining Right to Work verification with wider employment screening in a single, self-service platform.
Explore Background Direct for UK small businesses.
About First Advantage
First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA) is a global software and data company providing identity solutions, criminal background screening, and credential verifications. It helps organisations hire with confidence and manage risk across the employee lifecycle.
Related reading: Hiring without an HR team: how UK small businesses can verify candidates with confidence and Small business background checks: a practical guide to hiring in the UK.
This content is offered for informational purposes only. First Advantage is not a law firm, and this content does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Information in this content may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. Readers of this content should contact their own legal advisers concerning their particular circumstances.
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