A Walsall curry house which employed an illegal worker is applying for a new licence.
Dera on Calmore Road had its previous licence revoked in July at a meeting of Walsall Council’s licensing and safety committee.
It was brought under review after the Home Office visited the site in 2025 and found an illegal worker.
One Pakistani national was working outside of his visa conditions and the restaurant was issued a £45,000 fine.
The worker, who was then arrested, was in the UK on a type of visa which only allowed a specific type of work. His role as a cleaner at Dera did not qualify.
At the July meeting, the Home office spokesperson, Alex Romano, said: “The ability to work illegally is a key driver of illegal migration; it encourages people to breach UK immigration law and provides the means for migrants to remain unlawfully in the UK.”
West Midlands Police also called for the licence to be revoked. Jennifer Mellor, speaking for the force, said: “These types of crimes do impact on the police but they also can increase and impact the crime figures for Walsall as a borough.”
A representative for the former licence holder, Mr Talat Jalil, said he admitted that he failed to carry out the required right-to-work checks in the ‘isolated incident’, explaining that his ill-health following a heart attack affected his management of the business.
The representative said: “The manager genuinely believed the worker held a visa and allowed him to take on the kind of employment. It was a genuine mistake. There is no evidence he sought to employ the individual knowingly.
“He has been cooperative with the police and made no attempt to mislead or deceive the immigration enforcement officers.”
The committee decided to revoke the licence.
The new application requests opening hours of 12:00 to 05:00 and late night refreshment from 23:00 to 05:00.
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