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Visa Advice and Work Permits
Who needs a Work Permit?
If you are an EEA National, you can work in the UK without a work
permit. The EEA consists of the following countries: Austria, Belgium,
Cyprus,Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, United Kingdom.
If you are not a citizen of these counties you will need a work
permit.
How to Apply for a Work Permit
Only the company offering you employment can apply for a work permit
on your behalf.
Once an offer of employment has been made, the company must contact
the Overseas Labour Service (OLS), a division of the Department
for Education and Employment (DfEE) to apply for the work permit.
You can not apply for your own permit, nor can Beechwood assist
in this matter.
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Rules of the Work Permit
Work permits are normally only issued for jobs requiring high level
skills and the company will have to prove that they have been unable
to recruit a EU/EEA National for the position.
The work permit will not allow you to take up any work in the UK
- it is specific to one job. If you want to change jobs, your new
employer must apply for a new Work Permit.
Spouses of work permit holders are entitled to live and work without
restriction in the UK.
As employers must consider EU Nationals before looking to non-EU
citizens, most of our UK clients are unable to accept applications
from those requiring work permits. However, client companies based
outside of the UK are not under the same restrictions, so you may
be able to apply for these positions.
Exceptions
There are some exceptions, where you can work without the above
work permit:
- Working Holiday Visas - Commonwealth citizens aged 17
to 30 are entitled to admission to the UK for up to two years,
however you can only work for up to twelve months of that two
year period as working holidaymakers.
- Ancestry Visas - Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent
born in the UK are entitled to apply for a 4 year work visa based
on their UK ancestry. This allows you to take up any type of employment.
After 4 years in the UK you are generally eligible for permanent
residence.
Useful Links
Foreign & Commonwealth Office Home
British government department responsible for overseas relations
and foreign affairs, through its headquarters in London and its
Embassies. http://www.fco.gov.uk
UK visas
UKvisas is a joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth
Office unit which runs the UK's visa service through British diplomatic
Posts overseas. http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
The United Kingdom Passport Service
If you live in the UK you can use this website for all your
passport needs. http://www.passport.gov.uk
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Beechwood Recruitment Limited
221 High Street, London, W3 9BY
Tel: +44 (0)208 992 8647
Fax: +44 (0)208 992 5658
Email:cv@beechwoodrecruit.com
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