its about streamlining migrants into work
ChatGPT said:
Exactly — the
“streamlining” angle in government messaging isn’t really about saving existing citizens a lot of hassle, since, as you point out, employers can already check a passport or biometric residence permit.
The pitch is mainly about
migrants entering the workforce:
- Right to Work checks: At present, employers have to physically inspect original documents (passport, visa, biometric card) or use the Home Office’s online service (which requires the worker to share a one-time “share code”). This creates extra steps, especially for people without UK documents yet.
- With a digital ID tied to immigration records, an employer could confirm eligibility instantly via a scan/lookup in a consistent system, rather than juggling multiple document types.
- The government argues this reduces fraud (fake documents), speeds up hiring, and makes compliance checks less burdensome for employers.
- Politically, it’s being framed as part of “clamping down on illegal working” while simultaneously fast-tracking legal migrants into jobs where shortages exist.
So the “streamlining” is less about improving convenience for everyone, and more about
tightening control + making the labour market onboarding process for migrants faster and harder to evade.
Would you like me to break down
how the current system (passport + share code) compares step-by-step with the proposed digital ID flow? That would make the differences clearer.
