The short answer
Your compliance team doesn’t need to open every document a candidate uploads. Software can read each one, check the name and dates against the record you already hold, pass the ones that match and hold anything that’s off, such as an expiry date that has passed, with the reason written down. Your team sees the problems, not the pile. Some decisions stay with a person, including the legal right-to-work check.
Why it is worth fixing
Temporary and contract placements bring a steady stream of documents: proof of identity, right-to-work evidence, licences and certificates. Most of them are fine. Opening each one to confirm that the name matches and the dates are in order takes time, and the few that need attention are easy to miss in the pile.
Step by step
Decide what “correct” means for each document
For each type of document, write down what has to be true. The name and date of birth match the candidate’s record. The expiry date is in the future. It is the type of document you asked for. It can be read clearly. These become the rules the software checks, so they need to be your compliance team’s rules, written in their words.
Bring uploads into one place
Ask candidates to upload through one route, such as a form, a portal or a dedicated inbox, and make sure each upload is tied to the right candidate record. Documents arriving by email, text message and post at once are a big part of why checking is slow.
Let software read each document
AI document reading can pull the name, date of birth, document number and dates from a scan, or from a photo taken on a phone, though a clear image matters. It should also say when it cannot read something properly, rather than guess.
Compare it with the record you already hold
The software checks what it read against your own system: the same name, the same date of birth, an expiry date in the future, the right type of document. That comparison follows the plain rules from the first step; it is not a judgement left to the AI.
Pass the clean ones, hold the rest with a reason
When everything matches, the document is marked as passed. When anything is off, it is held for your team with the reason written down: “the expiry date has passed”, “the name differs from our record”, “the image cannot be read”. Nothing is turned down without a person looking at it.
Keep some decisions with a person
Decide which documents always go to a person, whatever the software reads. DBS certificates go to your compliance team to approve. The right-to-work check must follow one of the routes in the government’s guidance: an online check using the candidate’s share code, a check of their original documents, or a check through a registered digital verification service provider (an identity service provider). Software can collect share codes, read documents, chase what is missing and file the evidence, but it does not replace the check itself.
Track expiry dates and remind people early
Where someone’s permission to work is time-limited, gov.uk says you need to check their documents again when it is due to expire. Software can track those dates and remind your team and the worker in good time, so nothing runs out unnoticed.
Send a daily list, and spot-check it
A short summary each day of what was passed and what is held, with the reasons, gives your team a worklist instead of an inbox. Every so often, open a sample of passed documents to confirm the software is getting them right, and keep a record of each check and its date, as the employer’s guide explains for right-to-work checks.
Checklist
- Each type of document has a written list of what must match
- Uploads arrive by one route and are tied to the right candidate
- The software says when it cannot read a document, rather than guessing
- Anything held carries a written reason and goes to a named person
- DBS certificates go to your compliance team to approve, and right-to-work checks follow gov.uk
- Expiry dates for time-limited permission are tracked, with early reminders
- A sample of passed documents is checked by hand from time to time
When it is worth getting help
If you handle a handful of documents a week, a clear checklist and a shared tracker may be all you need. It is worth getting help when documents arrive every day, when they come in by several routes, when the record you check against sits in a system that is hard to connect to, or when you need a clear record of every check.
Rec Int. builds compliance document checks for UK recruitment agencies: documents are read with AI and checked against the record, the ones that pass are approved, and the rest are held with a written reason.
Questions people ask
Can software do the right-to-work check for us?
No. Software can collect share codes, read documents, send reminders and file the evidence, but the check itself must follow one of the routes in the government’s guidance on gov.uk.
What happens to a document the software cannot read?
It is held for your team with the reason that it cannot be read, and the candidate can be asked for a clearer copy. It should never be passed on a guess.
Sources
- Checking a job applicant’s right to work GOV.UK
- Check a job applicant’s right to work: use their share code GOV.UK
- Right to work checks: an employer’s guide GOV.UK
If you would like to talk through which of your compliance checks software could take on, book a discovery call.