Eligibility to Work in the UK

Before you start work, we have to check that you are eligible to work in this country:

• Eligibility checks
• Frequently asked questions about eligibility to work in the UK

Right to work checks 

At the interview stage, all candidates are required to show their passport and relevant documents.  A scan/copy will be required, and, if successful, stored on your personal file. 

• What documents can I use as evidence of work eligibility

Follow-up checks before employment commences

All staff who are appointed to work at the University must have a follow-up check with Human Resources before their first day of engagement.

UK and Irish Nationals

If you have attended your interview remotely over video, you will  be required to attend a right to work check in person, to allow a check to be made against your original documents.

Non UK and Irish Nationals

For the majority of staff we will check a person’s right to work by undertaking a Home Office Right to Work online Check. 

Sponsored workers will also be required to sign an ‘obligations letter’ (confirming you agree to the Home Office conditions to working in the UK) and complete a personal details form.

Conducting a Home Office Right to Work online Check

To undertake a right to work check using the online check status service, please follow the guidance below:

To prove EU Settled, EU Pre-Settled status or e-visa status the individual raises a share code via the Home Office View and Prove online service.

To prove visa status (biometric cardholders) the individual raises a share code via the Home Office Prove your right to work online service. 

NOTE: issue BRP cards are no longer accepted to prove right to work but will still be issued for purpose of travel and entry to the UK only.

1. With the share code obtained from the employee along with their date of birth, use the Home Office online right to work checking service to check their status confirms they are entitled to do the work in question.
2. Satisfy yourself that any photograph on the online right to work check is of the individuals presenting themselves for work.
3. Download and save the response provided as a pdf. and send to HR along with a scan/copy of their passport.

Failure to attend or produce the relevant documents will have an impact upon the continued employment contract with the University.

Re-checks

You will be required to have your documentation re-checked every 12 months; this is university policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is automatically entitled to live and work in the UK?

There are a number of ways in which individuals may already be eligible to live and work in the UK. Some of the main categories are:

• British Citizens
• EU Citizens holding Pre-Settled or Settled Status
• Nationals of countries granted indefinite leave to remain
• Valid Global Talent Visa holders

These categories are subject to change from time to time. You are therefore advised to check your own eligibility via the UK Visas and Immigration web pages.

What if I am not already automatically entitled to live and work in the UK?

We can often still legally employ individuals who do not already have an automatic entitlement to live and work in the UK, but we must first apply for permission to do so. In most cases, this will involve applying for a certificate of sponsorship and we will do this as soon as an offer of employment is made. If you are currently residing outside the UK we will send the certificate of sponsorship to you as soon as it is granted, and you will then need to make the appropriate arrangements to apply for leave to enter the UK. If you are already in the UK then you will not require leave to enter, but depending on your existing immigration permission you may have to apply for a change of immigration status or an extension to your current leave to remain.

Please note that you will not be allowed to start work until all of these processes have been completed.

If I am not already automatically entitled to live and work in the UK, how will this affect my application for employment?

It is unlawful to discriminate in recruitment or employment on a number of grounds, including nationality or citizenship. Your application for employment will therefore be assessed against your ability to meet the person specification for the job and in line with our standard recruitment and selection processes. If you are subsequently offered employment and you are not automatically entitled to live and work in the UK then we will make the arrangements to obtain a certificate of sponsorship on your behalf.

You should note, however, that in order to obtain permission to employ an overseas national who is not already automatically entitled to live and work in the UK, you must be able to show that you meet specific requirements. To sponsor a worker under the Skilled Worker Route, one of these requirements is that you must meet the required skills/experience and salary thresholds of the skilled workers criteria. This means that it is unlikely that we will be granted permission to sponsor individuals to work in a post that requires only generic or non-specialist skills, or that do not require at least NVQ3 or equivalent qualifications, and our processes must therefore take this into account.