Immigration webinar: Right to Work changes 2026

A Practical Guide for Employers Using Contractors, Agencies & Platform Workers

From 1 October 2026, significant changes to the right to work framework will come into force that extend civil penalty liability well beyond traditional employment relationships. Businesses that engage contractors, use staffing agencies, operate online matching platforms, or whose contracts include substitution clauses could be exposed to penalties of up to £60,000 per worker — even where there is no direct employment relationship with the individual found to be working illegally.

In this webinar, our immigration specialists at Osborne Clarke will walk you through what these changes mean in practice and what your business needs to do before October.

We will cover:

• What the new extended liability rules mean and who they apply to
• The three prescribed requirements your business must satisfy to protect itself from liability:
  • Getting your contracts right — what written terms you need in place with agencies, subcontractors and service providers
  • Substitution clauses — what controls you must put in place before a substitute starts work
  • Identity verification — what systems are required and how frequently checks must take place
• How liability can travel up a contracting chain and what this means for your business

This webinar is particularly relevant if your business:

• Provides services to third parties and subcontracts part of that work to agencies or other employers
• Operates a platform or online matching service that connects service providers with clients or customers
• Uses contracts with individual workers that include a substitution clause
• Manages a supply chain or multi-tier contractor arrangement