Can Employers Conduct Right to Work Checks on Volunteers?

As long as the definition is met, there is no need to carry out checks on the right to work of volunteers, provided the activity does not last more than 30 days in a period. This guide explains what employers should do to prevent illegal work in the UK, verifying people's right to work before hiring them to ensure they are allowed to work. Volunteers do not have the same rights as employees or workers since they do not have a volunteer employment contract. If their student visa permits them to work with restrictions, then they can volunteer.

However, if there is a limit to the number of hours they can work, the time spent on “volunteer work” will count towards the total number of hours, while the time spent “volunteering” will not. Every year, NHS doctors and nurses volunteer to help. Most of these professionals do about 3 days a year and sometimes receive expenses paid (e.g. on-site parking with charge), but most don't. The updated guide includes information on right-to-work checks for citizens of the EEA and Switzerland during the grace period (January 1 to June 30, 2020).

It was updated to provide more guidance to employers on right-to-work checks for EEA and Swiss nationals during the grace period (January 1 to June 30, 2020).Organizations should seek independent legal advice before hiring volunteers who are asylum seekers and who are not allowed to work. The content of the guidelines is practically the same and, more importantly, there are no changes to the general process that employers must follow when carrying out right-to-work checks, nor are there any changes to the documents that employers can accept as proof of the right to work in the United Kingdom. Volunteer leaders must perform all necessary checks before hiring volunteers who may have restrictions on what they are allowed to do. If there's any way it looks like the volunteer has a contract, you should check their right to work in the UK. Right to work verification is a Home Office process that states that every employee or casual worker has the right to work in the UK before starting work. Before hiring a student, ask them to complete the student's employment declaration form to check if they work for another employer and if their visa allows them to work full time outside the school period.

If a person is a volunteer and not a volunteer worker, you don't need to prove their right to work in the UK.