Restaurant at risk of receiving £60k fine for employing illegal workers

A Chinese restaurant in Belfast is being investigated after three illegal workers were found on the premises.

The Red Panda in the SSE Arena on Queen's Bay, was visited by Immigration Enforcement officers on 6 January.

They found two men aged 37 and 41 who were "failed asylum claimants with no permission to work" and a 31-year-old man who had entered the country illegally, all from China.

Mike Golden, of Northern Ireland Immigration Enforcement, said: “We are happy to work with businesses to explain the simple pre-employment checks needed to establish a person’s right to work in the UK, but to those who choose to ignore the rules the message is clear - we will find you and you will face a heavy financial penalty.

“Illegal working is not victimless; it undercuts honest employers, cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities and defrauds the public purse.

“I urge anyone with specific and detailed information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.”

The three men are being held in detention while steps are made to remove them from the UK.

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