Yes, from 6th April 2020 it became a legal requirement for employees to receive a written statement (contract) on day one of their employment or before.

It is a legal requirement for an employee handbook or associated policies to be provided to employees within 2 months of their employment starting.

Follow 3 steps to check that a job applicant is allowed to work for you in the UK before you employ them: 

• Obtain original versions of one or more accepted documents
• Check the document’s validity in the presence of the holder
• Copy: Make and retain a clear copy, and record the date the check was made

 You can either:

• check the applicant’s original documents
• check the applicant’s right to work online, if they’ve given you their share code

Acceptable documents are:

• Biometric residence permits
• Residence cards
• Valid UK passport
• UK birth and adoption certificates

A civil penalty of a maximum £20,000 fine per illegal worker can be imposed on an organisation for employing an illegal worker. Criminal penalties of an unlimited fine or a maximum of five years’ imprisonment will be imposed where an organisation employs an individual and they have ‘reasonable cause to believe’ the individual does not have the right to work in the UK, at any time.