UK businesses must source migrant labour through legal means or face severe penalties, the UK Home Office announced, quoted by the British Embassy in Moldova. According to the cited source, the Government of the United Kingdom is setting out new measures to prevent illegal working following a consultation with businesses. Under a new system of civil penalties, employers who negligently hire illegal workers could face a maximum fine of £10,000 (more than 232,000 Moldovan lei) for each illegal worker found at a business. If employers are found to have knowingly hired illegal workers they could incur an unlimited fine and be sent to prison. “By stamping out illegal working we are making the UK a less attractive destination for illegal migration. The new civil penalties are a more effective way of dealing with employers who use slipshod or exploitative recruitment methods” Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said. According to the British authorities, these measures, which take effect in February, will make it easier than ever before for employers to carry out checks and for the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) to deal with non-compliance.