The UK Work Permit scheme was an immigration category used to encourage

skilled worker A skilled worker is any worker who has special skill, training, knowledge which they can then apply to their work. A skilled worker may have attended a college, university or technical school. Alternatively, a skilled worker may have learned thei ...

s to enter the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

(UK) until November 2008, when it was replaced by the points-based immigration system. It provided an opportunity for overseas citizens seeking to gain valuable international work experience in the UK and was often used to enable UK employers to transfer key personnel to the UK from outside the

European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade As ...

(EEA) region. A valid job offer from a viable employer in the UK is a requirement for a work permit. A UK work permit is granted to a specific person for a specific role within a specific company and the permit holder must be able to accommodate and support themselves and any dependants without recourse to public funds. The application for a work permit must be made by the sponsoring company. The

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) was a scheme from 2002 until 2008, that was designed to allow highly skilled people to immigrate into the United Kingdom to look for work or self-employment opportunities. It was different from the standar ...

may be available to potential immigrants without a job offer. A work-permit-holder can apply for their dependants to join them in the UK, and their dependants will be able to work in the UK without restriction. In order to change employer, a prospective employer will need to apply to the

UK Border Agency The UK Border Agency (UKBA) was the border control agency of the Government of the United Kingdom and part of the Home Office that was superseded by UK Visas and Immigration, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement in April 2013. It was f ...

to transfer the work permit prior to starting work with the new employer.

Eligibility

Duration

A work permit can be issued for any period of time between 1 month to 3 months. The duration of the work permit is dependent on the length of time requested by the sponsoring company, and is also at the discretion of the Home Office. A permit holder will be "locked-in" to their employer for the duration of the visa. Moving to another employer requires another application to be made.

Position

The position for which the work permit is required must meet

National Vocational Qualification National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are practical work-based awards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that are achieved through assessment and training. The regulatory framework supporting NVQs was withdrawn in 2015 and replaced by the ...

(NVQ) level 3 and above. For work in a certain professions, registration with the governing body of that profession may be required. For example, doctors must be

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by ...

(GMC) registered.

Education

Eligibility for a work permit requires: * A degree; or * A

Higher National Diploma Higher National Diploma (HND), part of the Higher Nationals suite of qualifications, is an academic higher education qualification in the United Kingdom and various other countries. They were first introduced in England and Wales in 1920 alongs ...

(HND) level qualification which is relevant to the position on offer; or * An HND level qualification which is not relevant to the position on offer plus one year of relevant full-time work experience at NVQ level 3 and above; or

Additional information

Entry clearance/leave to remain

Once a work permit has been authorised it is the responsibility of the work permit holder (not the employer's responsibility), to apply for the correct leave in order to validate the work permit. This would be in the form of either a Leave to Remain application (if eligible to switch in the United Kingdom) to the United Kingdom Home Office, or an application for

entry clearance Since 1945, immigration to the United Kingdom, controlled by British immigration law and to an extent by British nationality law, has been significant, in particular from the Republic of Ireland and from the former British Empire, especiall ...

(if overseas) to the nearest British High Commission/Embassy in the country of the worker's legal residence.

Shortage occupations

If the position for which the prospective employer is seeking a work permit is on the shortage occupation list, there is no requirement for the employer to meet the advertising criteria set b
Work Permits (UK)
Otherwise the employer will need to advertise for the position in a government accredited place - a broadsheet paper, online etc. This advert will have to be 'live' for a set period of time and the employer will have to prove that the applicant is the most qualified for that position. The work permit shortage occupations list contains jobs within the engineering, healthcare, and other professions.

Spouse/civil partners

A work permit holder's partner may apply for entry clearance as a dependant on the work permit provided that they are either married or have entered into a civil partnership. The permit holder and their partner must demonstrate that they intend to live together in the United Kingdom and that a marriage or

civil partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

subsists. The partner of a work permit dependant visa holder will eligible to seek and take employment in the United Kingdom.

Developments under the points-based system

During the third quarter of 2008, the Work Permit scheme was scrapped and it became part of Tier 2 of the new points-based immigration system, the tier for skilled workers. Tier 2 also replaced the existing provisions for ministers of religion, airport-based operational ground staff, overseas qualified nurse or midwife, student union sabbatical posts, seafarers, named researchers, Training and Work Experience Scheme (TWES), Jewish agency employees, and overseas representatives (news media).SKILLED WORKERS UNDER THE POINTS BASED SYSTEM - (TIER 2) STATEMENT OF INTENT
UK Border Agency.

Future outside the EU

When Britain leaves the EU, citizens of the EU might need a work permit in the UK. If Britain gets an EEA agreement, they probably won't need a permit, in the same way as citizens of Norway don't need it. Without an EEA agreement, citizens of the EU will probably need work permits, in the same way as Swiss citizens who do need a permit, which other citizens like Serbians (Serbia is negotiating for EU membership) also need. Same principles will apply for Britons in EU countries as the other way around, that is depending on an EEA agreement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Work Permit (United Kingdom) Immigration to the United Kingdom