A YORK restaurant has been stripped of its licence after illegal workers were found during immigration raids.
The Sky Blue Chinese Restaurant and karaoke bar's licence was revoked after a Home Office bid for City of York Council to act went before a hearing on September 24.
The Government department's application stated the restaurant had been found repeatedly employing illegal workers and still owed £95,000 in unpaid fines.
Evidence from the Barbican Road restaurant's licence holder, including pictures of signs asking customers to leave quietly and CCTV in operation, utility bills and lease agreements, was considered by councillors.
It comes after Sky Blue York Ltd, the venue's operating company, went into liquidation earlier this month owing £102,412 to creditors including the Home Office and HMRC.
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The company's debts include two fines, issued in October and January and worth £40,000 and £45,000 respectively, which remain unpaid.
The Home Office report stated two raids on the restaurant were carried out by Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) officers in July and December last year.
Officers found a worker in the restaurant's kitchen during the July raid who discarded his apron when they approached him.
The worker claimed during an interview conducted in Mandarin that he had taught himself cooking online and had travelled from Birmingham to show a friend how to prepare vegetables.
He later admitted he was not allowed to work and the friend would take him for a meal in return and paid for his bus ticket after denying he was being paid.
A raid in December found a worker who told officers in Indonesian that he came to the restaurant at 10am and typically worked until 9pm.
The worker said he was usually employed twice a week to prepare food and was paid £30 to £40 a shift, sometimes received food and was housed for free nearby.
Checks found he entered the UK on a visit visa which expired in August 2017 and had not applied to legally remain in the country.
Four enforcement visits were also carried out between 2014 and 2019, when the premises traded as The Regency Chinese Restaurant.
The licence for The Regency Chinese Restaurant was revoked in 2020 but a new one was granted for Sky Blue to trade at the premises.
Zhong Le Chen, who was listed as the licence holder when the business traded under its previous name, was at the premises during both enforcement visits.
Home Office checks found he entered the UK on a student visa which expired in February 2011 and had submitted several applications for leave to remain which were all refused.
The Home Office's application stated putting extra conditions on the restaurant's licence or suspending it was not enough following the repeated offences.
The application stated: "Sky Blue, under the control of Kheng Chooi Koay, has been found employing illegal workers on two separate occasions.
"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."
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