The National Identity Scheme will hold information about a foreign national's entitlement to work. Specifically, it will help employers quickly and easily to check the identity of potential employees and to confirm their right to work in the UK. It will make it easier for employers to comply with Section 8 of the Immigration Act 1996.
ID cards will also make it easier to prove a case against employers who knowingly employ - and often exploit - illegal workers. This is part of longer-term strategic measures to tackle the problems of illegal working.
See also Immigration and illegal working.
