The government has thankfully updated its guidance on right to work checks to confirm that right to work checks for EEA nationals will not change until after 30 June 2021.

This means that until 30 June 2021, employers can continue to rely on an EEA national's passport or national identity card to evidence their right to work. The Government's guidance makes clear that employers are not expected to differentiate between EEA nationals who arrived before 31 December 2020 (the end of the transition period) and those arriving from 1 January to 30 June 2021 (the grace period) and that there will be no mandatory requirement for retrospective checks to be undertaken on EEA nationals who were employed on or before 30 June 2021.

We are awaiting further guidance on the requirements for conducting right to work checks from 1 July 2021. That will presumably be when the fun begins...

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.