{"id":34824,"date":"2026-08-07T15:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T15:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.complycube.com\/?p=34824"},"modified":"2026-08-07T15:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T15:06:38","slug":"quest-ce-qui-a-change-dans-la-legislation-de-2026-sur-le-droit-au-travail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.complycube.com\/fr\/what-changed-in-the-2026-right-to-work-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"Qu\u2019est-ce qui a chang\u00e9 dans la l\u00e9gislation sur le droit au travail de 2026\u00a0?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TL;DR: <\/strong>On 1 October 2026, the new right to work legislation <\/strong>comes into force. This is one of the biggest changes in workforce<\/strong> compliance in the UK in recent years. This article shows what changes with the 2026 right to work legislation, why the reforms matter, and how employers, contractors, and digital identity providers should prepare for UK right to work changes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Biggest UK Right to Work Legislation Reform in Years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most coverage of the reforms has focused on the importance of expanded right to work checks, tougher civil penalties, or the inclusion of more working arrangements. However, this is only part of the bigger picture. The biggest change is how organisations are expected to demonstrate compliance.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reforms place greater emphasis on evidencing compliance through stronger record-keeping, greater accountability, and the use of trusted digital identity verification when carrying out checks. As a result, many employers are revisiting long-established hiring processes rather than making a few administrative tweaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the consequences of getting this wrong have also grown. Home Office enforcement is focused on demonstrating whether organisations followed the correct verification process rather than simply whether documents were collected. Employers that knowingly employ someone without the right to work may also face criminal sanctions, temporary business closure notices, or the loss of their sponsor licence under certain circumstances. These risks apply to large organisations and basically any business of every size that is looking to recruit or engage workers in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Right to Work Legislation in the UK?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although the phrase “right to work” has different meanings in different countries, in the UK it refers to immigration compliance and an employer’s legal duty to verify that an individual has permission to work. The number one goal of the UK’s right to work legislation is to stop illegal working. This legislation requires employers to verify that every individual has the legal right to work before their employment period starts.\u00a0You can learn more here: Employer’s Guide to Proof of Right to Work in UK with Certified IDSPs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basis of the current UK government framework stems from Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, the subsequent amendments in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 as well as the Immigration Act 2014. Together, these Acts and the latest Home Office guidance form the foundation of the UK’s right to work regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Timeline<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The legislation gives employers a thorough legal defence, also known as a statutory excuse. This protects employers from civil penalty liabilities if they carry out compliant right to work checks before employment begins They also must retain evidence for the necessary period. Without that statutory excuse, employers may become liable if an individual is later found to have been working illegally. Right now, there are three recognised ways to complete right to work checks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n