Permission to Work in the UK

Before seeking employment in the UK, you must ensure that you are eligible to do so.

1) EEA (European Economic Area) citizens are generally exempt from work permit requirements. Certain EEA nationals are required to obtain permission to work in the UK before starting employment and others will need to register under the Worker Registration Scheme if they intend to work for a UK employer for longer than one month. Further details (including a list of countries included in the EEA) can be found at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

2) Permit-Free Employment: Permit-free employment refers to certain types of work that you do not need a work permit for. Postgraduate doctors and dentists who are in the UK for training purposes, including those attending Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) tests do not require work permits.

PLEASE NOTE that it is not possible to take up locum or agency work under this category. You can obtain further information from www.ukvisas.gov.uk

3) Work permits: Work permits relate to a specific person in a specific job. These allow UK employers (NOT recruitment or locum agencies) to recruit people from outside the EEA to work in the UK.

If you have a work permit, you are NOT ALLOWED to take on locum work through a recruitment company.

Further information about work permits can be found at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

4) If you have UK ancestry or if you are a Commonwealth citizen , you can apply for a UK Ancestry visa. You may be allowed to work in the UK for up to five years without a work permit if you have this visa.

You can find out more about this type of visa at www.ukvisas.gov.uk

5) Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP Visa). This is a points based program that allows highly skilled people (like doctors) to migrate to the UK to find work or self-employment opportunities. If you are already in the UK on a different visa, you may be allowed to apply to change to a HSMP visa.

This visa is different from a Work Permit in that you do not need a specific job offer in the UK to apply. This allows doctors to enter this country and work in any grade or position for any employer. You can find out more from www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

6) Doctors with holiday or tourist visas are not allowed to undertake paid or unpaid employment in the UK. You may be allowed to apply for a different visa (refer to HSMP visa) that will enable you to work while you are in the UK.

7) Dual Nationality: any overseas professional with dual nationality to Britain or any EU country is automatically entitled to work in the UK.

8) Two Year Working Holiday Visa: This Visa is available to people aged between 17 and 30 years of age from certain countries. This Visa is valid for two years from the initial date of entry into the UK and allows the holder to work for up to 12 months in the UK. The holder of this Visa is permitted to work in any capacity, including Trust Grade and Staff Grade posts. Apply for this Visa at the British High Commission in your country of domicile.