Dera, a popular curry house on Caldmore Road in Walsall, will 'almost certainly close' after its licence was revoked for employing an illegal worker. The Home Office visited the restaurant last year and discovered a Pakistani national working outside his visa conditions.
Home Office Visit and Civil Penalty
The individual was arrested as an immigration offender on August 9, 2025, and a civil penalty of £45,000 was issued. The worker was in the UK on a visa that only permitted a specific type of work; his role as a cleaner at Dera did not qualify.
Members of Walsall Council’s licensing committee met on July 15 to decide on the licence after the Home Office and West Midlands Police called for its revocation. The committee heard about a previous incident in 2023 when another individual was arrested for an immigration offence at the restaurant.
Licence Holder's Defence
The restaurant’s licence holder, Talat Jalil, stated that the 2023 individual was not employed by Dera and had no connection to the business, which he said the Home Office 'accepted at the time'. A No Action Notice was issued after that visit. Mr Jalil said he was unaware why the Home Office used that incident in the current review, calling it 'unrelated'.
At the meeting, Alex Romano from the Home Office 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. The statutory guidance makes clear that employing a person disqualified from work by reason of immigration status should be treated particularly seriously and that revocation of the licence should be seriously considered even in the first instance.”
Police Concerns
Jennifer Mellor from West Midlands Police said: “We’ve heard several serious concerns not only about the way the shop is being run. These types of crimes do impact on the police but they also can increase and impact the crime figures for Walsall as a borough. We are also of the opinion that the fact that this illegal worker had been located in August last year and the immigration concerns in 2023 involving a further male is not a coincidence or a mistake. It’s obviously a deliberate act to either avoid paying minimum wage or taxes or worse they are exploiting these individuals.”
When asked if West Midlands Police had evidence of underpaying workers or exploitation, Ms Mellor confirmed there was none.
Representative's Statement
A representative for Mr Jalil said he admitted failing 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. At the meeting, he reminded members that the individual arrested in 2023 'had no association with the restaurant' and that the Home Office took no further action.
Regarding the 2025 illegal worker, 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.”
Business Future
The licence holder said the business had been taken over by Ifrah Sabir and would likely close if the licence were revoked. The representative said: “Since taking over Miss Sabir has made compliance her priority. She’s taken proactive steps to ensure the business is operating in full its responsibilities. Revoking the premises licence would almost certainly result in the closure of the business and would be of serious consequence of the locally employed staff.”
Committee Decision
The committee, made up of Councillors Irene Henery, David Bailey and Tony Sadla, decided to revoke the licence. Speaking on their behalf, the council’s solicitor Tara Tumber said: “The sub-committee are not satisfied that the premise licence holder has demonstrated that they will actively promote the licensing objectives. Particularly the prevention of crime and disorder. Given the seriousness of the offence of employment of illegal workers, the committee considers that the revocation of the premises licence is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to uphold the licensing objectives.”
