Yes, but they need to apply under the Skilled Worker Visa
The same Brexit rules also apply to the citizens of the EU member states (except Ireland) and the EEA countries such as Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Having an EU passport or national identity card only is no longer valid proof of an EU citizen’s right to work in the UK. Starting from 1st January 2021, any EU citizen who’s residing outside the UK but interested in working in the country is required to have a UK skilled worker visa for their immigration request to be successful.
You can continue to visit the UK for up to 6 months without applying for a visa and may participate in a wide range of activities, including tourism, visiting family and friends, short term study, attend job interviews and other business-related activities, such as events and conferences.
Applying through the points-based immigration system
You should begin your application on GOV.UK and you will need to demonstrate that you meet the relevant criteria and score the number of points required for the visa you’re applying for.
You will need to pay an application fee and, if you are coming to the UK for more than 6 months, you may have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which will enable you to access the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
What are the Qualification Requirements for the Skilled Worker Visa?
You need to have the following for your skilled worker visa application to be successful:
- You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English.
- You must already have a valid job offer from an employer who’s approved by the Home Office. The job should be on the Home Office’s list of eligible occupations.
- Your future employer must issue you with a ‘certificate of sponsorship.’
- They must also tell you an expected salary, one that is approved and within the Home Office’s minimum salary scale.
If you have all of the above, you can make an application for a UK Skilled Worker Visa up to three months before your UK job starts. This is the date indicated on your certificate of sponsorship.
You also need to pass relevant checks, including UK criminality checks.
A total of 70 points is required to be eligible to apply; some characteristics are tradeable. If a characteristic is tradeable it means you do not have to fulfil this specific requirement but can instead fulfil a different one to meet the required points. This table provides an overview of the necessary characteristics to be eligible for a visa under the new points-based system.
As part of your application, you will need to verify your identity. Most people will be able to do this using a smartphone, through the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app, as part of the online application. Those who cannot use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app will need to attend a Visa Application Centre.
The processing times for applications vary depending on the visa you are applying for and the service available. You must apply and receive confirmation that you have been successful before you travel to the UK.
You will have created a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account when you applied for a visa using the ID Check app, or to the EU Settlement Scheme. You will use your UKVI account credentials to sign in to the View and Prove service on GOV.UK, which is where you can access your immigration status (eVisa). For more information read the immigration status guidance.
Right to work checks
For most EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, you need to check their right to work online using:
- a share code
- their date of birth
An EU passport or national identity card alone is no longer valid proof of someone’s right to work in the UK.
Recruiting people from outside the UK
Freedom of movement between the UK and EU has ended and the UK has introduced a points-based immigration system.
You need to have a sponsor licence to hire most workers from outside the UK.
This includes the employer obtaining a sponsorship licence to employ from abroad.
SPONSORSHIP LICENCE
To apply for a sponsor licence (formerly known as Tier 2 sponsor licence), a company is required to submit an application form online along with a minimum of four specified supporting documents as evidence of its trading presence in the UK, in addition to a covering letter to provide background information about the company.
Once this is granted, the company will need to assign the certificate of sponsorship it to the migrant worker they intend to sponsor to generate a unique reference number for the candidate to submit during their visa application.