Immigration Enforcement officers visited Rai Convenience Store on Main Road, Middleton Cheney near Banbury after a tip-off was made. Rai Convenience Store, also known as Sanderz News & Convenience Store.
Middleton Cheney is a large village in West Northamptonshire, located about three miles east of Banbury, near the Oxfordshire border and M40 junction 11.
Home Office documents published by West Northants Council say that during an interview with the illegal worker, she admitted that she had worked at the shop for “the last three to four years”.
It said: “She usually works no more than four days a week for three to four hours a day stacking shelves.”
Home Office checks showed the illegal Indian worker entered the UK on a student visa valid from September 2009 to February 2012
The Indian woman submitted multiple applications for leave, but they were all rejected, the documents say.
The Home Office said: “There was one illegal worker encountered at the premises and both the worker and manager confirmed she worked at the premises.
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“From account, it was clear that all parties encountered were aware of [the Indian woman’s] immigration status and that she had no right to work in the UK.
“Whether by negligence or wilful blindness illegal workers were engaged in activity on the premises, yet it is a simple process for an employer to ascertain what documents they should check before a person can work.
“It is an offence to work when a person is disqualified to do so, and such an offence can only be committed with the co-operation of a premises licence holder or its agents.
“It is also an offence to employ an illegal worker where there is reason to believe this is the case.
“All employers are dutybound by law to conduct these checks, and guidance can be found on the gov.uk website or by using a search engine.”
Sanderz Ltd, trading as Sanderz News & Convenience Store, was subsequently fined £45,000 for employing the illegal worker.
There is currently an active proposal to strike off the registered company on Companies House.
Immigration Enforcement wrote to the district council asking for the convenience shop to have its licence revoked.
However, the Banbury Guardian reported last year that Rai Convenience Store, also known as Sanderz News & Convenience Store, surrendered its licence to the council.
UK employers face severe penalties for employing individuals without the legal right to work, with civil fines increasing to up to £45,000 per illegal worker for a first breach and up to £60,000 for repeat offences as of February 2024.
Companies may also face public naming, license revocation and criminal prosecution, including custodial sentences.
