Uk Work Visa For Eu Citizens
Come and check out my complete guide to getting a UK Work Visa. I’ll show you the easiest ways on how you can secure one, no matter your nationality or profession. All you need is to fulfil some simple requirements, then boom! You’re in England.
If you are an EU citizen who wishes to work in the UK, you will no doubt be aware that a UK work visa is required for this. The good news is that there are a few different UK work visa options available to EU citizens.
Uk Work Visa For Eu Citizens
Are you a citizen of the European Union? Do you want to work in the UK?
If so, then you’ll need a Uk Work Visa For Eu Citizens.
The Uk Work Visa For Eu Citizens is for those who are citizens of the European Union and would like to work in the United Kingdom. The Uk Work Visa For Eu Citizens allows people from EU countries to live and work in the UK without needing any additional permits or paperwork.
This makes it easy for citizens of countries like France, Italy, Spain, Germany and more because they don’t have to worry about applying for a visa first or getting permission from their government before moving there.
If you are from the EU, the UK or Switzerland and want to work in a UK company, you need an Uk Work Visa. This can be a difficult process if you have never done it before. You will need to have your skills recognised by the UK government, and then apply for a work permit.
The first step of this process is to get your qualification recognised by an organisation such as the National Recognition Information Centre (NARIC). The NARIC will look at your qualifications and compare them to those in the UK, so they can give you advice on whether or not your qualifications are equivalent. If they are not equivalent, they will tell you which parts of your qualification need to be completed before it will be accepted by them.
Once you have completed these parts of your qualification within two years of receiving advice from NARIC, then you can apply for recognition through their website. This should be done as soon as possible after receiving their advice letter because it takes some time for them to process applications – usually around two weeks but sometimes longer depending on how busy they are at that time!
The formation of the European Union (EU) saw free movement of goods, services, people as well as capital among the member countries, which included the United Kingdom (UK). Following the official exit of Britain (UK) on 29th March 2019, it hasn’t been business as usual for the European Union (EU) citizens who used to enjoy the freedom of migrating and working in the United Kingdom, among other EU countries before Brexit.
Who are EU Citizens?
Upon leaving the EU, the UK changed its way of handling citizens from the remaining 27 EU countries. These countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania. When we talk about the EU citizens, we are referring to the nationals of these 27 EU member countries. However the same Brexit rules also apply to citizens of EEA countries such as Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
The UK Skilled Worker Visa and EU Settlement Scheme
Having an EU passport or national identity card only is no longer valid proof of an EU citizen’s right to work in the UK. Starting from 1st January 2021, any EU citizen who’s residing outside the UK but interested in working in the country is required to have a UK skilled worker visa for their immigration request to be successful. This includes the employer obtaining a sponsorship licence to employ from abroad. However, Irish citizens are exempted from the restriction, as the UK and Ireland still uphold free trade between the two countries, thus free movement of workers.
Even if you were an EU ex-pat working in the UK before 1st January 2021, you might also be required to have a visa to continue working in the country, especially if you had not applied for the pre-settled or settled status uder the EU Settlement Scheme. For most EU ex-pats, they had until 30th June 2021 to obtain the necessary work visa or apply to c) if they were living in the country by 31st December 2020.
If an EU citizen working in the UK didn’t manage to apply to the EUSS on time, the Home Office had issued a special provision that allowed them to make the application within 28 days after the 30th June Deadline. The application was likely to be successful if it showed that the applicant had missed the application deadline on reasonable grounds. Citing illness or domestic abuse by your spouse is among the reasons that can be considered reasonable grounds for failing to submit your application on time.
Otherwise, an EU worker living in the UK without a work visa or pre-settled/ settled status under EUSS risks being labelled an overstayer and possible subsequent deportation to their home countries.
EU Settlement Scheme Exemptions
Not every UK citizen needs EUSS pre-settled or settled to work in the United Kingdom. For instance, the UK immigration law exempts the following categories of UK existing workers before 1st January 2021 from applying under the scheme:
- British citizens
- The citizens of Ireland
- EU nationals born in the UK, with at least one of their parents having EUSS settled status
- EU nationals who’ve been granted permanent residence right in the UK by the Home Office
Pre-Settled and Settled Status
Both settled and pre-settled status allows an EU citizen to work, live or work in the UK after Brexit. Nevertheless, pre-settled status limits the duration of enjoying these rights to just five years. On the other hand, with settled status, you can live, work, or study in the country for an indefinite period and can acquire British citizenship.
If you are an EU national, pre-settled status can be a gateway to settled status unless you have a criminal record that makes the Home Office identify you as a security threat. For you to acquire settled status through pre-settled status, you have to spend at least six months of each of the five years of your pre-settled period in the UK, unless you have reasonable grounds to be absent beyond six months per year. Besides, you should abide by the laws of the land to avoid criminal convictions that can raise red flags in your UK stay track record.
There are various factors that need to be put into consideration to establish if you actually need to apply for settled or pre-settled status for you to work in the UK after Brexit. The analysis can be complicated, requiring guidance from an experienced legal expert.
At Gulbenkian Andonian, we have qualified and experienced lawyers who can help with your EUSS pre-settled or settled eligibility analysis and the subsequent legal steps in the status application process.
What if You were not in the UK Before 1st January 2021?
If you are interested in working in the UK but were working and living in an EU country (apart from Ireland and the UK) before 1st January (thus ineligible for pre-settled or settled status), you have to acquire a skilled worker visa. The visa allows you to travel to and perform eligible work in the UK with an approved employer.
However, if your close relative (for instance, a parent or a sibling was a legal resident of the UK by 30th December 2020, you can apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme, which will allow you to work in the country. However, considering that the deadline for EU Settlement Scheme lapsed on 30th June 2021, you’ve to prove, with reasonable grounds, that you couldn’t submit your application on time.
What are the Qualification Requirements for the Skilled Worker Visa?
You need to have the following for your skilled worker visa application to be successful:
- You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English.
- You must already have a valid job offer from an employer who’s approved by the Home Office. The job should be on the Home Office’s list of eligible occupations.
- Your future employer must issue you with a ‘certificate of sponsorship.’
- They must also tell you an expected salary, one that is approved and within the Home Office’s minimum salary scale.
If you have all of the above, you can make an application for a UK Skilled Worker Visa up to three months before your UK job starts. This is the date indicated on your certificate of sponsorship.
Getting a UK to work visa or applying to the EU Settlement Scheme can be a complex process. Fortunately, with our UK immigration service, you rest assured of working with experienced and friendly solicitors who will make the entire process as effortless as possible. Reach us today for top-notch assistance.
UK Work Permits (General Category) & Permanent Residency
As a UK work permit holder you can qualify for permanent residence if you have lived and worked in the UK for a minimum of five years. Once you have satisfied the five year requirement you may qualify for Indefinite Leave to remain in the UK, which can be then be followed by British Naturalisation as a UK citizen.
Intra-Company Transfers & Permanent Residency
As a UK work permit holder under the ICT category, you can qualify for permanent residence if you have lived and worked in the UK for a minimum of five years and was granted a Tier 2 intra company transfer visa under the rules in place before 6th April 2010 or had previous leave as a qualifying work permit holder. Once you have satisfied the five year requirement you may qualify for Indefinite Leave to remain in the UK (ILR), which can be then be followed by British Naturalisation as a UK citizen.
Changes of Employment
If you wish to change employers you must get a new Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed employer. You will also need to undergo a reassessment against the current points test and the position will need to satisfy the advertising requirements of the resident labour market test (if applicable).
How We Can Help You
- Assessment of Your Personal Circumstances
We know that every case is different. Our OISC registered consultants are here to listen, understand and provide you with accurate advice about the best UK visa route according to your personal circumstances. - Documentation
Following our comprehensive assessment of your circumstances we will provide you with full details of all documentation we require to prepare and submit a successful work permit application on your behalf. - Preparation and Submission of Your Application
Once you’ve provided all of the request documents your dedicated case manager will collate all documentation and prepare your application in accordance with the latest immigration rules and requirements. - Advertising the Role
If necessary, we can advise and assist with ensuring the advertisement placed meets the government criteria. - Application Monitoring and Liaising with UKBA
Your case worker will submit your application to the UKBA on your behalf and monitor progress, keeping you up to date at every step of the way. We will also manage any requests for additional information from the UKBA. Then as soon as UKBA have approved your work permit application we’ll notify you immediately. Our team of qualified immigration consultants know first-hand the stress involved with making a UK visa application and we’re on hand to answer any questions you have throughout the application process.
Conclusion
If you’re a current resident of the EEA, looking for a job in the UK, you may need to apply for a work permit. The million dollar question is how do you get one? In this article we will look at if EU citizens are eligible for UK work permits and any criteria that needs to be fulfilled in your case.
Before applying for a UK work visa, you need to find out their type and purpose. You might be able to work in the UK on a temporary basis, but you still need to meet several criteria. Due to the rise in the number of immigrants from the European Union (EU), with many opting for another country after completion of a working stay program, the UK’s governing body decided that it was time to ensure that only those who are deemed eligible or worthy will enter the UK.