Identification requests

[PedroAsani]

I am a contractor with my own limited company. I always opt-out of the Employment Regulations.

Yet still I am being asked to provide identification by agencies before interview.

From a conversation today, the agency is under the belief that they have to do this for the Employment Regs 2003 and the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.

From my understanding, opting out negates the former, and being a limited company, my company is the one who must check employees eligibilty under the AIA.

Am I right? And what else can the agency be checking for?

[KevinS]

I always refuse on the grounds that the agent (and no one from the agency) knows what I look like.. I could just scan a friends passport, make the appropriate changes and send that on.

What I do do, however, is send a letter on MyCo stationary which states that MyCo has done all due diligence in terms of MyCo's employees right to work in the UK and indemnifying the agency completely.

Edit: Forgot to mention I've not had an issue with this approach, and got the idea from someone else on this board. Also, my current agency admitted afterwards that is wasn't for 'regulations' as they initially indicated, but internal process (like ISO9001 or whatever)..

[malvolio]

That might have been me....

Also, of course , a passport is not proof of ID unless the person who owns it is holding it out in front of you. Copies are worthless.

Nevertheless, it is right that opting out of the Agency Regs absolves the agency from any responsibility to check IDs and residency. Sadly, almost none of the agencies believe you when you tell them that. IT's usuailly easier simpy to send them a photoshopped PDF with key numbers and one colour layer removed, just to keep them happy.

[stillooking]

That might have been me....

Also, of course , a passport is not proof of ID unless the person who owns it is holding it out in front of you. Copies are worthless.

Nevertheless, it is right that opting out of the Agency Regs absolves the agency from any responsibility to check IDs and residency. Sadly, almost none of the agencies believe you when you tell them that. IT's usuailly easier simpy to send them a photoshopped PDF with key numbers and one colour layer removed, just to keep them happy.

Interesting to read this as many times I've been asked for personal details from agents despite being a Ltd co contractor - with great reluctance and annoyance I've provided them, utility bills etc etc - I've always resisted calls for copy of passports as I'd read that they only need to see a certain number of proofs of i.d..

However one of the latest requests I got was from an agent that is a tier 2 supplr to a managed service company (Matrix I think they're called) the managed service company handle the recruitment for a local authority. Anyway, they asked before I was even put forward for the role for the following.

copy of passport page
name/address of doctor
details of (any) illness(s)
signed confidentiality form
and other miscellaneous forms

As I was and am getting fairly keen to get another contract I obliged, but removed certain id numbers etc etc.

i got an interview offer and also got a contract offer but then the agent asked for copies of exam results....well that did it for me, I declined going any further.

[Not So Wise]

name/address of doctor
details of (any) illness(s)

hmm I highly doubt even asking for those is even legal, if it is should defiantly not be

[stillooking]

hmm I highly doubt even asking for those is even legal, if it is should defiantly not be

I agree I don't think it should be legal, it made me v.cross indeed

and.......just to cap it all the agent is still pestering me because I tippexed some i.d. nos. out on the copy of the passport, he lost the first one in the post....

the way it's going I'm going have to try and get work direct b2b, but it's not easy nowadays