Private landlords will be obliged to check the immigration status of potential tenants under new guidelines proposed by the government.
The new proposals will be outlined in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday and is further evidence of the coalitions' increasingly strict stance on illegal immigration, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Under a new Immigration Bill, landlords could be fined thousands of pounds for renting properties out to illegal immigrants whilst employers will face "more substantial" fines for taking on workers without the proper authorization to work.
The Bill will also limit the ability of European immigrants to claim benefits and charge temporary migrants for using the NHS.
The legislation has been drawn up as the Coalition struggles to contain the electoral threat posed by the UK Independence Party, which has attracted voters with its hard-line immigration policies, the Telegraph said.
The Queen’s Speech, which sets out the legislative programme for the next year, is expected to contain more than a dozen parliamentary Bills including new legislation on state pensions, and the rehabilitation of criminals.
The details of how the measures on immigration are implemented will be set out later in the year.
Ministers are expected to say that the legal requirements on landlords will affect those letting rooms in multi-occupancy properties.
However, the measure will be universal and it will be the responsibility of all landlords to seek copies of passports and appropriate visas.
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