Responding to new Home Office guidance over immigration checks via video calls for those seeking to establish the right to rent or work, Amnesty International has warned that the system is “unworkable and dangerous”.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:

“In the midst of a global pandemic which is threatening the life and wellbeing of everyone, it is an absolute disgrace that checks on people’s immigration status remain the Home Office’s priority.

“Our Government is rightly asking that everyone do all they can to adhere to life-saving guidance on social distancing and isolation - yet this move directly contradicts that.

“By insisting that immigration right to rent and right to work checks are still necessary, the Home Office is endangering lives and requiring landlords and employers to be complicit in that.

“These measures are designed to deprive people of a place to live and a way of supporting themselves and will mean many cannot stay home or adhere to Government demands that they self-distance and isolate. The repercussions for the UK’s response to this crisis could be catastrophic.

“Immigration controls should never be more important than the safety and welfare of people. This policy is dangerous, and should be halted immediately.”