Leading careers resource CV Genius has released a comprehensive summary of everything that employees need to know about proving their right to work in the UK. Updated for 2024, the Right to Work Guide consolidates the latest government information to help UK workers — both citizens and immigrants — quickly determine what they need to keep or initiate employment in Great Britain without having to navigate multiple webpages. ‘When you consider skills shortages account for 36% of job vacancies in the UK, the need to expand the search for talent beyond British borders is made startlingly clear,’ said Aaron Case, a CPRW & CV Expert at CV Genius. ‘It’s critical to inform skilled workers who aren’t British citizens of the options they have to either continue working in the UK, or come join the national upskilling effort.’
Who has the right to work in the UK?
The guide covers right to work eligibility requirements for the following groups:British and Irish citizens: Typically either a valid/expired British/Irish passport, a British/Irish birth certificate AND an official letter from a government agency showing a National Insurance Number. Naturalised British citizens can also use their certificate of naturalisation AND an official letter from a government agency showing a National Insurance Number to prove their right to work in the UK. Irish citizens can also use a passport card or Frontier Worker permit.EEA/Swiss citizens who’ve been in the UK since before Brexit: People from these groups must have successfully applied for Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme, and should have an online share code from UK Visas & Immigration to prove their right to work in the UK. But if their Settle Status application is pending, they can use the digital or physical Certificate of Application to prove their right to work to employers.Anyone else with a valid work visa: Those who don’t fit into the groups above must prove that they have an eligible work permit, which may include showing a passport with a valid visa and/or a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). Additionally, Ukrainian citizens who don’t have a passport or BRP can prove their right to work in the UK with a Form for Affixing a Visa (FAV) with an entry clearance vignette sticker. What types of visas grant eligibility to work in the UK? To help those searching for opportunities to bring their talents to the UK, CV Genius also summarises eligibility and fees information for the following visas:
- Graduate visa: Graduates from British universities can apply for this visa to work for up to 2 years (or 3 years if they have a PhD).
- Global talent visa: Granting the right to work for 5 years, this visa is offered to eligible highly skilled workers in fields such as science and the arts.
- High potential individual visa: Graduates from certain top-ranked universities outside the UK can apply for this visa and receive 2 years (or 3 if they have a PhD) of eligibility to work in Great Britain.
- Skilled worker visa: Applicants for this 5 year-work visa must be sponsored by an eligible employer, work in a shortage occupation, meet a minimum salary requirement, and provide proof they speak English at a required level.
- Working holiday visa: To get a working holiday visa, applicants must be 18–30 (or 18–35 for New Zealanders) and be from an eligible country. This visa grants holders the right to work in the UK for 2 years (or up to 3 years if the holder is from New Zealand, Canada, or Australia).
- India young professionals scheme visa: People from India who are between the ages of 18 and 30 can apply to be entered into a lottery for this visa, which offers up to 2 years of UK work eligibility.
To access the full guide, visit: https://cvgenius.com/blog/career-advice/right-to-work-in-uk. This guide was created by compiling information from www.gov.uk. The objective was to consolidate information from the government’s web of resources for easier, one-stop access. For questions, contact Ethan David Lee at ethan@cvgenius.com.