Worker Registration Scheme
Most nationals of the new EU accession states, (A8 countries), will need to register on the Accession State Worker Registration Scheme or WRS.
Please Note: This does not apply to nationals of Malta or Cyprus, or anybody listed as self-employed.
These exceptions will have full free rights and will not need to secure a workers registration certificate.
Nationals from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, who gain employment in UK must register under the WRS as soon as they secure a job
Duration
A UK worker's registration certificate is issued for 1 year. The certificate shows that the applicant may continue to live and work in the UK on condition that their employment continues. (Applications for UK work permits/visas for WRS depend upon specific job proposals. If applicants change their jobs within 1 year, their registration will have to be renewed)
Eligibility Criteria
If you are an EEA national from any of the countries listed below, then you do not need to register with the WRS.
1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Denmark
4. Finland
5. France
6. Germany
7. Greece
8. Republic of Ireland
9. Italy
10. Luxembourg
11. Netherlands
12. Portugal
13. Spain
14. Sweden
Please Note: that applicants from Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia msut apply to the UK Workers Registration Scheme. Nationals of Malta and Cyprus do not need to apply.
Exemptions
As a citizen of one of the new EEA member states, you are excused from the WRS if you fall into any of the categories listed below:
» You have been working legally in UK and stayed in the same job 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 self-employed.
» 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 also a British citizen or a citizen of Switzerland or an EEA State excluding the A8 Member States.
» You have been working legally in UK for 12 months or more in a position they held on 1 May 2004.
» You are the spouse or dependent child of a Swiss or EEA national living in UK as a student or a retired, self sufficient or self-employed person.
» 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 the spouse or child of a Swiss or EEA national, excluding the A8 Member States, who is working in the United Kingdom.
Benefits
Applying for the Worker Registration Scheme in the UK is compulsory; however, it benefits the individual in the following ways. Applicants working legally in the UK for 1 year without intermissions can apply for an EEA residence permit. Once they have this, applicants can work towards ILR in the UK, (Permanent residency) and they can also make an application for British naturalization as a UK citizen.
Candidates should register on the WRS as soon as they find work. Failure to do so within the first month will put a stop to them continuing to work legally within the UK.
For more information please contact Capital Visas via the website form or directly on 0207 100 1919.