Headingley’s Tariq’s restaurant faces Home Office review
Tariq’s in Headingley can continue trading after councillors were told its owner was not responsible for a breach of immigration rules.
A food venue has been allowed to keep its licence after measures were agreed to ensure its staff are allowed to work in the UK.
Tariq’s in Headingley can continue trading after councillors were told its owner was not responsible for a breach of immigration rules.
A licensing sub-committee heard Tariq Shafiq was leasing the St Michael’s Road venue to a third party when an illegal worker was found there in August last year.
Councillors were told a civil penalty of £40,000 remained unpaid after immigration officers visited Tariq’s, which is currently closed.
Mr Shafiq said he had been in and out of the UK visiting his family. He said: “All this that happened, I had no knowledge.”
Mr Shafiq said the venue had now been closed for around three months and was left in a “mess” by its previous operators.
He told the hearing at Leeds Civic Hall: “I’m very upset.”
The premises licence was transferred to Mr Shafiq at a hearing in July this year under a separate application to the council.
A licensing report said the North East, Yorkshire and Humber Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) team visited the premises on August 7, 2025.
It said: “One individual who did not hold the right to work was encountered and arrested.
“During the interviews concerns were also raised regarding the wages paid to the individual, raising serious questions about the licence holder’s commitment to lawful and ethical employment practices.”
The Home Office first sought revocation of the licence, but withdrew that request after it was transferred to Mr Shafiq.
Conditions added to the licence included right-to-work checks, staff training and a staff register being kept at the premises, which also traded as Kismat.
A letter from the Home Office licence compliance team said: “The licence shall additionally be subject to Leeds City Council’s standard CCTV conditions.”