Tiger Tavern Pub and Grill, located on Powis Avenue in Tipton, is under threat of losing its licence after employing workers without the legal right to work in the UK. Sandwell Council is set to review the pub’s licence on June 25 following a request from Home Office immigration officials.
In August 2025, immigration enforcement visited the pub and discovered a dishwasher working illegally. The worker, who arrived in the UK in 2023 on a student visa, admitted to working around three months and receiving approximately £50 for shifts extending from 6am to 11pm on Saturdays during private events.
The pub was fined £45,000 last year for employing this illegal worker, a penalty that remains unpaid and has since been handed over to third-party bailiffs for recovery. Tiger Tavern’s owner and manager, Gurminder Singh, acknowledged that the illegal worker was paid in cash and maintained that pre-employment right-to-work checks were the responsibility of his business partner. Mr Singh also claimed the worker had only started on the day of the Home Office visit, a statement the Home Office refuted.
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Further investigation revealed two other staff members on-site were also restricted to working 20 hours a week and lacked valid work rights. The Home Office report emphasized that no proper right-to-work checks were conducted prior to employment, and that paying the illegal worker £7 per hour significantly undercut the national minimum wage of £12.21—highlighting clear exploitation.
The report reiterated that employers must carry out statutory right-to-work checks before any work begins, a straightforward process outlined by the Home Office. Failing to do so, or knowingly employing illegal workers, is a legal offence. The licensing committee’s impending review will determine whether Tiger Tavern’s licence should be revoked because of these violations.