A NAIL salon faces a hefty £40,000 fine after two people working there were arrested by immigration enforcement officers.

Farnham Nails, in The Borough, was visited by officers on Thursday, January 16 – where they say checks identified two Vietnamese nationals had “overstayed their visas”.

A statement from the Home Office confirmed a 21-year-old woman and 22-year-old man had been transferred to immigration detention pending their removal from the UK.

Speaking to the Herald, an employee of the nail salon – who asked not to be named – said the detained woman went to the salon ten days before, asking for a job.

She was invited back for a “two to three week trial”, which she was four days into at the time immigration arrived.

The Herald understands that after a trial at the salon, potential employees are asked for their ‘right-to-work’ and visa documents before signing a contract.

The employee said the detained woman had shown staff a picture allegedly showing her right-to-work papers, but that later they discovered it was evidently “not real paperwork”.

The employee also told the Herald the detained male had accompanied the woman to her trial at the salon, admitting he had “lost his job”.

The staff member said the man began helping on a similar trial basis.

The staff member claimed they had no idea if the man had the relevant visa.

The Home Office later confirmed the salon now faces a financial penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker – unless the employer can demonstrate appropriate checks were carried out.

If proof is not provided, the company will face a potential £40,000 fine.

A Home Office statement read: “The business was served a civil penalty referral notice warning a financial penalty will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate appropriate right-to-work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office permission to work.”