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Visa and Work Permit Information

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Visa and Work Permit Information

Who can work in the UK? Each country has its own immigration regulations and criteria that should be met to be able to work in the UK, visit the Home Office website at www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk to get more information for each specific country.

European Community law gives EEA nationals a right to live and work in the UK. This is called a right of residence.
You have an initial right of residence in the UK for three months if you are an EEA national. You would lose this right of residence if you or your family members became an unreasonable burden on the social assistance system of the UK.

If you are an EEA national and you want to live in the UK for more than three months, you must be a 'qualified person'. A qualified person means an EEA national who is in the UK as:

-a jobseeker
-a worker
-a self-sufficient person (someone who can support themselves financially), or
-a student

You do not need a work permit to work in the UK but you may need to register as a worker under the Worker Registration Scheme.

is the Worker Registration Scheme?
You must register under the Worker Registration Scheme if you are working in the UK and you are a national of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, or Slovenia. You will need to register if you plan to work for more than one month for an employer in the UK.

Once you have been working legally in the UK for 12 months without a break, you will have full rights of free movement. You can then apply for a registration certificate to confirm your status.

You can find more information about the Worker Registration Scheme on www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk website.

How do I apply to work in the United Kingdom? There are two stages to applying for work authorisation. Your employer needs to apply for a work permit. Once they have applied for the work permit and it has been approved, a letter of approval will be sent. When you have received this letter you will then need to apply for an accession worker card.

Work permit To apply for a work permit your employer will need to look at the work permits section and apply using the appropriate form. Your employer must read the relevant guidance before making an application. The qualifying criteria published in this guidance must be followed in order to apply for a letter of approval to employ Bulgarian and Romanian nationals to work in the United Kingdom. However, there are some aspects of the work permit arrangements that are not relevant to Bulgarian and Romanian nationals.

These are:
-Bulgarian and Romanian nationals will cease to be subject to immigration control. They will no longer require leave to enter or remain and we will therefore no longer issue multiple entry work permits for them
-United Kingdom employers are not required to inform us of a technical change of employment
-Accession worker card will be valid for as long as the Bulgarian or Romanian worker remains in the employment for which the card has been issued. United Kingdom employers will not therefore need to seek an extension of the initial approval under the work permit arrangements
-There will be no restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian nationals switching from one employment category into another employment category whilst in the United Kingdom (but if an individual changes jobs, their new employer must apply for another letter of approval from us and the individual must apply for a new accession worker card)
-There are no restrictions on Bulgarian or Romanian nationals changing their status in the United Kingdom from a worker to a student, a self-employed person or a self-sufficient person
-For applications under the student internships and sectors based scheme there is no requirement for Bulgarian or Romanian nationals to be out of the country at the time of an application.

Accession worker card If you require an accession worker card and have obtained an offer of employment before you come to the United Kingdom, you can apply for the document from outside the United Kingdom.

Registration certificate You can apply for a registration certificate if you are in the United Kingdom as a self employed person, a student or a self sufficient person. If you are exempt from worker authorisation you can apply for a registration certificate as a worker or jobseeker.

Highly Skilled Individuals To apply for a registration certificate as a highly skilled individual you will need to demonstrate that you meet certain criteria in order to obtain a registration certificate on this basis.

To qualify as a highly skilled migrant you must score sufficient points under the points-based system established for the purpose of the existing Highly Skilled Migrant Programme. Points are awarded based on an applicant's age, level of qualifications and previous earnings.

For further information please visit www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/hsmp/eligibility/ or contact our specialist recruitment team on 0116 299 4040.