Immigration Raid At Takeaway

UK Border Agency officers carried out a raid on a takeaway restaurant and arrested every member of staff working there.

Wokaholic in St Augustine’s Gate in Norwich had to close for the evening after it was visited by officers from the Local Immigration Team for Norfolk on Thursday 17th March.

Checks revealed that all five members of staff working at the time were illegal immigrants from China.

A 32-year-old woman, who was working front of house, had overstayed her visa. The others, a 38-year-old woman and men aged 42, 38 and 23, were all failed asylum seekers and working in the kitchen of the takeaway.

The UK Border Agency is now seeking to remove them from the UK.

Immigration Officer Liz Richardson said:

“The revenue lost on the night of the raid means the business has already been hit in the pocket, but it could be facing an even bigger financial blow.

“Employers have a legal responsibility to carry out right-to-work checks before taking on foreign nationals. Those that break the law face fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker.”

In order to avoid a potential fine of as much as £50,000, Wokaholic must now prove that it did conduct all the correct pre-employment checks.

The UK Border Agency says employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers or they can call the UK Border Agency’s Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.

Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org.