A Liverpool Daily Post article written by Paul Edwards reported that British cricket clubs have been warned to abide by new immigration laws and apply for a sponsorship license to employ overseas players or face prosecution. The article was published on 13 October 2008 and is not available online but can be seen below:

OFFICIALS OF cricket clubs intending to employ overseas players in 2009 will risk prosecution if they do not abide by new regulations introduced by the Home Office.

The Managed Migration System replaces all the current means by which cricketers come to the UK and introduces three categories for applicants. The first of these, Tier 2, will be used solely by the first-class counties, but the others, Tier 5 and Sports Visas, are specifically designed for recreational clubs such as those in the Business Assistance Liverpool Competition.

Tier 5 is for professional players who will need to have played five first-class matches in the previous 24 months and will also need to possess, or be in the process of getting, a Level II coaching qualification.

Clubs wishing to employ such a cricketer will need to get a Licence of Sponsorship from the Home Office, which will ultimately allow the player to apply for a biometric Visa from the British Embassy or High Commission in his home country. Such applications may, of course, still be turned down on security or other grounds.

Licences will cost £400 and will last for four years. Sponsoring clubs will need to supply evidence of ECB support, copies of club accounts plus insurance and other documents with their application. The new licences will also be player specific - if a club changes its professional, a new application, costing £10, will have to be made.

The new regulations may sound dry and predictably bureaucratic. But such is the Home Office's desire to control immigration more tightly, that it has been made clear that heavy fines or even possible imprisonment await officials who bring in or employ "migrant workers" without proper documentation.

The Sports Visa method of entry is simpler and it is anticipated that it will be adopted by most recreational clubs. Under the system, players who can prove that to the Embassy or High Commission that they are not professional cricketers will be able to apply for a Sports Visa to play for a specific club. These will cost £65 and it is understood they will be available from countries decribed by the Home office as "low risk" such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Despite the new visas being intended for amateur sportspersons, it will still be permitted for such cricketers to be paid for their services and most first-grade Australian players, for example, would be included in this category.

Both systems place considerable administrative burdens on club officials, but Neil Edwards, Secretary of the League Cricket Conference and an authority in the field of employing overseas cricketers, feels that the impact will be "quite positive".

"Under the new system, it's quite clear what clubs have to do," he said.

It's quite clear what clubs have to do.

This Bucks Free Press article written by Andy Carswell demonstrates the implications of neglecting to make the correct work entitlement checks using a recent example of a Burnham High Street restaurant.

Here's another report about an employer getting stung! An Indian man has been arrested on suspicion of working illegally at a supermarket and his employer now faces a potential fine of up to £10,000.  Police arrested the man on suspicion of working illegally at Kooner's Supermarket, in Plumstead High Street, on July 18.

It's every employer's responsibility to ensure those they employ have the right to work. Don't take the chance. Be sure to check eligiblity.

The UK government has announced the latest development in the clean-up of immigration policy. Individuals wishing to apply for citizenship will not only be required to meet mandatory requirements such as proving their English language ability, but they will also be required to ‘… pay a little extra before they become citizens.’

Border and Immigration Minister Mr Liam Byrne said:
"Britain is not anti-foreigner, we're a welcoming, tolerant place. But we do expect newcomers to sign-up to a deal if they want to stay and build a life in Britain.

"The public overwhelmingly supports the idea of newcomers earning their right to stay. Today we show how we'll make these ideas law, hand in hand with our new points system for selective migration, like the one that's worked so well in Australia."

A poll carried out by the Home Office revealed UK citizens were overwhelmingly in favour of would-be citizens ‘earning the right’ to stay in Britain as well as being required to learn English. The majority also agrees that those who commit offenses and don’t adhere to UK law should be penalised on their route to UK citizenship.

What this means in a nutshell is:

1. Powers for the border officials to cancel visas.
2. Tougher civil penalties for those who bring passengers to the UK without the correct     documentation.
3. Imposing a clear legal duty on individuals to ensure they have the correct permission for their trip to the UK.
4. The power to expel those without permission.
5. Migrants will need to earn the right to remain in the UK.
6. Expulsion of individuals who do not adhere to UK law and automatic bans on their return. Those who are expelled and later allowed to return could be require to repay costs to taxpayers.
7. The possibility of large 'bail bonds' for those awaiting decisions or expulsion.
8. Civil penalties for employers who employ illegal workers without making the necessary checks – i.e. for employers employing individuals on Work Permits.
9. A simpler appeals system to ensure that the needs of vulnerable groups are respected: honoring international obligations to refugees and ensuring the UKBA safeguards and promotes the welfare of children.
10. Citizens and permanent residents will have full access to benefits whilst migrants will contribute a little extra to the cost of local services.

The UK government is really flexing its muscle over illegal immigration and on June 19 Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced a series of measures in a document entitled, uncompromisingly ‘Enforcing the Deal’. The deal, presumably, is fulfilling the government’s promise of tightening up on illegal immigration.

Up to 7,500 UK Border Control Agency officers will be organised into 70 to 80 local immigration teams to feed off local knowledge and get to the heart of the problem.

Professional organisations involved in the trade of helping illegal immigrants to get into the UK will also be targeted. The Guardian reported that on the same day as the document was released, there were a series of raids of bogus colleges and a firm of solicitors supposedly issuing false education certificates to illegal entrants.

Other weapons in the BCA’s armoury are heavy penalities for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrant workers. The document included the announcement that once fined (£10,000 per illegal worker), businesses are named and shamed on the BCA’s website. 

It’s not fair, said the little guys in some news reports, they should hit the big boys.  But they are, after all, guilty and moreover, easy prey – and easier to find given this beefed up, more localised form of monitoring that is in league with the local police force and local authority and involves information sharing amongst bodies such as utilities companies. The chances of being caught out have never been greater.

The BCA already removes an immigration offender every eight minutes from the UK. That looks set to increase once these new measures coming into force. Employers and employees should beware, this is a very dangerous time to be hiring or working illegally in the UK.