UK Worker Registration Scheme

These exceptions to basic UK immigration will have full free rights of movement and will not need to secure a UK work permit or workers registration 

certificate

 to work in UK.

Nationals from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, who obtain employment in Britain must register under the WRS as soon as they secure a job.

The UK Working Registration Scheme monitors new EEA nationals coming to work in the UK for their first 12 months of employment. Beyond this period, subject to meeting the appropriate requirements, non-visa nationals from these countries will be able to apply for an EEA Residence permit, a visa for confirming their right to move freely throughout the EU.

Global Visas can assist your registration and advise you on your EEA residence permit application when you qualify. As a consultancy that specialises in immigration to UK, we can provide immigration lawyer advice and personal service throughout your relocation to the UK whichever immigration service is right for you.

Benefits

Applying for the Worker Registration Scheme in the UK is compulsory, however, it benefits the individual in the following ways. Once a candidate has been working legally in Great Britain for 12 months without interruption they will be eligible to apply for an EEA residence permit confirming their right to live and work in the UK. Once this has been achieved, candidates will be able to progress towards Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, often known as permanent residence and may be able to apply for British naturalization as a UK citizen. For more information on making an EEA residence permit application, please see the relevant section of the website.

Candidates should register on the WRS as soon as they find work, and failure to register within the first month will prevent them from continuing to work legally. The more quickly this registration is carried out, the sooner the 12-month period of uninterrupted employment may be accrued.

SOme people who were were not in the A8 viewed our pages on training and work experience.

Duration

A UK worker's registration certificate is issued for a period of 12 months. The certificate acts as confirmation that the applicant may continue living and working in the UK so long as the employment continues. It is important to note that like applications for UK work permits, visas for WRS depend upon a specific job offer. If applicants change their jobs within 12 months, their registration will have to be renewed.

Eligibility Criteria

Nationality

If you are an EEA national from one of the following countries, you do not need to register with the WRS.

• Austria
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Republic of Ireland
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden

However, you must apply to the UK Workers Registration Scheme if you are from one of the new member EEA states of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Nationals of Malta and Cyprus do not need to apply.

Exemptions

As a citizen of one of the new EEA member states, you are exempt from the WRS if you are in one of the following categories.

• You are in the country on a UK work permit or another scheme such as the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP), or you are a dependant of such a candidate.
• You are self-employed.
• You have been working legally in Britain for 12 months or more in a position they held on 1 May 2004.
• You have been working legally in Britain and stayed in the same job after 1 May 2004.
• You were issued with leave to enter the UK before 1 May 2004 as a seasonal agricultural worker and began employment on the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) on or after 1 May 2004.
• You are providing services in the country on behalf of an employer who is not established in the UK.
• You are also a British citizen or a citizen of Switzerland or an EEA State excluding the A8 Member States.
• You are the spouse or child of a Swiss or EEA national, excluding the A8 Member States, who is working in the United Kingdom.
• You are the spouse or dependent child of a Swiss or EEA national living in Britain as a student or a retired, self sufficient or self-employed person.

Public Funding

In order to immigrate to the UK under this programme, applicants must be able to demonstrate that they will be able to support themselves without relying on public funds.

Employer responsibilities

Employers are responsible for ensuring that any workers employed by them have the legal right to work in Great Britain and that they have registered with the scheme. Find out further information on our Training and Work Experience page.