King's Speech: digital IDs could streamline onboarding of foreign workers

Shara Pledger, an immigration expert with Pinsent Masons, was commenting after the government confirmed it was proceeding with plans to deliver a new voluntary national digital ID to improve access to public services.

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The introduction of the new digital ID was included in the King’s Speech delivered by King Charles this week as he set out the current administration’s legislative agenda for the next 12 months.

The scheme was initially announced in September as a mandatory step to help cut down illegal working in the UK. However, mounting opposition resulted in the government substantially revising its position in January. It said the scheme would proceed on a voluntary basis only, meaning that individuals would not be legally required to hold a digital ID to evidence their right to work.

The government said the new scheme would “modernise how citizens interact with public services” as well as providing a convenient, secure and efficient way for people with no other official form of identification to prove their identity.

Challenging previous data security and privacy concerns, the government said the digital ID would “put people more in control of their data” by only sharing specific information required, rather than name, address and date of birth all at once, as is currently the case with most physical forms of ID in the UK.

The digital ID scheme will be introduced as part the Digital Access to Services Bill, which will largely apply to the whole of the UK.

Pledger said the new system would be significant for employers across the UK, where digital right to work checks are standard for both non-British and Irish nationals. “Whilst passports and other official physical documents can still be used for ID checks, employers are increasingly moving to digital service providers for British and Irish nationals,” she said. “This certainly fits in with the direction of travel and would remove some uncertainty and human error in right to work processes.”

Individuals would also still have the option to use other official forms of digital ID, such as passports or eVisas, to meet right to work checks. However, Pledger added that, depending on take-up, the new scheme could result in less administration and less queries for employers, leading to more “streamlined onboarding”.

Digitisation of right to work checks is not without costs though, warned Pledger. She cited the example of the Home Office, which is already in the process of moving ID service provision to verified digital service providers. “They do charge for their services,” she said, “so businesses will want to assess the costs of implementing a fully digital model.”

The announcement comes a little over a week since the government concluded an eight-week public consultation on the proposed national ID system, including exploring the age at which digital ID should be issued.

There are also plans to run a ‘People’s Panel on Digital ID’ engagement process that will conclude on 21 June, after which point the government will publish a formal response.