West Midlands Police and the Home Office are pushing for the revocation of Dera's premises licence following two immigration visits that uncovered illegal working. The curry house, located on Caldmore Road in Walsall, was fined £45,000 by the Home Office after an August 2025 inspection revealed a worker breaching visa conditions. That fine remains unpaid in full.
Two Immigration Visits and Arrests
Immigration officers first visited Dera in November 2023, arresting one individual who attempted to flee. The Pakistani national, who entered the UK on a student visa in February 2022 and later obtained a Tier 2 visa for healthcare work, gave vague answers about his link to the restaurant. The visa allowed up to 20 hours of additional work but only in eligible roles, which the curry house did not qualify for.
Licence holder Talat Jalil claimed the individual was not employed by Dera, and the Home Office issued a No Action Notice at that time. However, a second visit in August 2025 found another worker in breach of conditions. Officers searched his home and discovered £6,000 in cash in envelopes labelled for him, which the Home Office said corroborated substantial employment at the restaurant.
Home Office Calls for Revocation
The Home Office stated: “The license holder would have been aware of his responsibilities to uphold the licensing objectives as they are clearly defined as part of the premises license application. The licence holder also had the experience from the first visit where it was highlighted that right to work checks needed to be conducted. The licence holder missed a crucial opportunity to prevent crime and disorder. Immigration Enforcement asks that the premises licence be revoked.” They added that merely remedying the situation would be insufficient to deter future criminal activity.
Licence Holder Admits Wrongdoing
Mr Jalil admitted to wrongly employing the second individual, stating: “He was working for me as a storeroom cleaner, who worked once a week for a couple of hours. I paid him cash, and he was not on the payroll due to the very small number of hours he worked for us. I accept that not all the checks were carried out as required.” He cited a heart attack and stent fitting as reasons for losing focus on the business, and noted that other workers had visually checked documents but the responsibility was his alone.
Mr Jalil has decided to give up Dera and is transferring the licence to Miss Ifrah Sabir, who has agreed to take over the business. The licensing committee will meet on July 15 to decide whether to revoke or suspend the licence, modify conditions, or exclude licensable activity.
