Does the candidate need a UK Work Permit?
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The following categories of people can take up any lawful employment in the UK and do not need a Work Permit:
- Nationals of EEA (European Economic Area) countries (the EEA comprises the 25 EU member states - Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic*, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia*, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary*, Ireland, Italy, Latvia*, Lithuania*, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland*, Portugal, Slovakia*, Slovenia*, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom – and also Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland)
- Those with Indefinite Leave To Remain in the UK (Permanent Residence)
- Those in the UK as the spouse of an EEA national
- Those in the UK as the spouse of a Work Permit holder, Training Permit Holder, Sole Representative, Investor, Student, Ancestry visa holder
- Commonwealth citizens with Ancestry visas (sometimes called ‘patriality) – these visas are available to Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the UK. They should be applied for by the candidate at the British High Commission in their home country. They are usually issued for a period of four years; after four years in the UK the candidate is generally eligible for permanent residence.
- Those with pending claims for Asylum in the UK (NB workpermit.com does NOT handle asylum applications)
- Those in the UK on a visa as the ‘partner’ of an EEA national, Work Permit holder, Training Permit Holder Sole Representative, Investor, Student, Ancestry visa holder. These visas are issued in cases where the partners are not legally allowed to marry (for example because they are of the same sex, or because one or both of them are married to someone else) and have been co-habiting for at least two years prior to the visa application.
NB Nationals of those countries with a (*) above must apply for a registration certificate under the Worker Registration Scheme within one month of commencing a new job in the UK.
NB if the candidate has a ‘Working Holiday’ visa, it probably does NOT allow them to take up the job you have found for them. These visas allows candidate to take up "employment incidental to [their] holiday". They can work for up to 50% of the time, either by working part-time (up to 20 hrs/week) throughout, or by working full-time for 12 months and not working for the other 12 months.
However a working holidaymaker is not allowed to pursue his/her career or to render professional services. This means that candidates are not allowed to work as IT professionals, for example, while on a working holiday visa.
In addition to these categories of people, nationals of European Community Association Agreement countries (Bulgaria and Romania) may come to the UK to set up in business and are exempt from the usual investment requirements. Thus may it viable for them to come to set up an IT consulting / contracting company and to work for your client in a freelance capacity. However, applications to enter the UK in this capacity will often take several months to process, and are only viable for those who combine technical skills with business experience.
Go to our guide to freelance work in the UK for EC Association Agreement nationals