In this article, you'll learn about the UK Right to Work checks that Certn offers. This article is part of a set. To learn more, read our articles about ordering this check and understanding this check's results.

Introduction

In the UK, all employers are legally required to complete a right to work check before an employee can start in a new role. Completing a right to work check helps to ensure that a new employee is who they say they are and is legally eligible to work in the UK.

Historically, UK employers typically had to complete right to work checks manually and in person. The UK government’s digital identity and attributes trust framework now allows for a more digital process. Certn’s UK Right to Work check is designed to help employers based in the UK complete right to work checks using an online process that saves you and your candidate time.

How it works

Certn’s Right to Work check verifies the identity of your candidate digitally. This digital right to work check is performed by a certified digital identity service provider (IDSP) that is approved by the UK government.

To complete this check, your candidate must have either a British passport or an Irish passport (or Irish passport card). During the check, your candidate takes a picture of their identity document and a selfie (a self photograph). To successfully complete the check, your candidate must pass the check’s four criteria:

• Face match: Compares your candidate’s selfie to the picture in their identity document.
• Liveness: Ensures your candidate is taking a live selfie and not a picture of a picture.
• Identity verification: Researches for evidence that could indicate a compromised identity.
• Document verification: Checks for features that could indicate an invalid document.

After your candidate successfully completes the check, a report becomes available in your Certn dashboard. Then, outside of your Certn dashboard, you’ll need to finalise the check by simply confirming that the selfie and passport in the report you receive from us visibly matches the person who presents for work. You can complete this final step online using your preferred video call service. You must do this before the employee starts work. You will also need to keep evidence of this check on file for the duration of the employment to meet your legal obligations as employer.

Who can order this check

Certn clients who are employers based in the UK can order our UK Right to Work check, provided that your candidate holds a British or Irish passport (or an Irish passport card).

Additionally, in accordance with good pre-employment industry practices, employers should consider ordering Right to Work checks only for successful candidates as a final step in their hiring process.

Turnaround time for this check

Certn’s UK Right to Work checks typically complete within 24 hours after your candidate submits their application successfully.

If you ordered this check and are looking for information about its progress, refer to Stages of this check.

Stages of this check

When you use Certn’s web application to invite your candidate to complete a UK Right to Work check, the stages of the check are as follows:

How to get started

If you're new to Certn and you want to start ordering this check, start by creating your account. If you have an account and are ready to order this check, refer to our article about ordering this check.