Prove your right to work to an employer
Using immigration documents
If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, you can usually prove your right to work in the UK with one of the following:
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a current passport with a Home Office ‘endorsement’ in it
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an immigration status document
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an application registration card
There may be other documents you can use if you:
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are waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application
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were given settled or pre-settled status in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
- are a Ukrainian citizen
- are a frontier worker - a citizen of an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein who lives outside the UK and comes here to work
Proving your right to work with a passport
You can use your passport to prove your right to work in the UK if it has a Home Office ‘endorsement’ in it - for example, a stamp or a vignette (a sticker).
Your passport must be current. You cannot use it if it has expired.
The endorsement should show one of the following:
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you have indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain in the UK
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there’s no time limit to your stay in the UK
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you can live in the UK and work - either any work or the type of work you’re applying to do
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you have a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode
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you’re exempt from immigration control - for example, you’re a diplomat
Proving your right to work with an immigration status document
You’ll have an immigration status document if both of the following apply to you:
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you do not have a UKVI account
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you could not get an endorsement in your passport when you were given permission to stay in the UK
For example, you might have an immigration status document if you’re a refugee or have been granted humanitarian protection or discretionary leave.
Your immigration status document must be current.
You must also give your employer an official letter or document from a previous employer or a government agency. The letter must show your name and National Insurance number.
For example, you could use a letter from HM Revenue and Customs, Department for Work and Pensions or the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland.
Proving your right to work with an application registration card
You’ll have an application registration card if you’re waiting for a decision on an asylum application. Your application could be to get asylum yourself or as a relative of someone who’s applying for asylum.
Your application registration card must say you have permission to work in the UK - it should say ‘Work permitted’.
You’ll need to show the card to your employer. They’ll use this to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
If you’re waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application
You can get a share code to prove your right to work.
You can also use a physical certificate of application from the Home Office to prove your right to work if you have one.
You’ll need to show your certificate to your employer who will use it to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
If you were given settled or pre-settled status in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
You can prove your right to work with the letter or email you were sent to confirm you have settled or pre-settled status. Your employer can use this to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
If you’re a Ukrainian citizen
You can get a share code to prove your right to work if you have:
- a biometric residence permit (BRP)
- a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account
If you do not have a BRP or a UKVI account yet, you can use your passport with an ‘endorsement’ stamp or vignette sticker in.
If you do not have a passport, you can give your employer an entry clearance vignette sticker attached to a ‘Form for Affixing the Visa’ (FAV). They’ll use it to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
If you’re a frontier worker
If you have a current Frontier Worker permit you can get a share code to prove your right to work online.
If you do not have a current Frontier Worker permit, you’ll need to prove to your employer that you:
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are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
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live outside the UK
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started working in the UK (while living elsewhere) by 31 December 2020
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have worked in the UK at least once every 12 months since you started working here
You can use the following types of documents to prove this:
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your passport or national identity card
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a utility bill or bank statement that proves your current address is outside the UK
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utility bills or bank statements that prove you were also living outside the UK when you worked here before
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a signed and dated job contract that says you must work in the UK
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letters from employers saying how frequently you need to travel to the UK for work
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tax returns from HMRC showing you’re self-employed in the UK
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bank statements or invoices that show payments for work you’ve done in the UK
You’ll need to use as many of these documents as it takes to prove you meet all the eligibility rules.
Your employer will use the documents you give them to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
How long you can work in the UK without a current Frontier Worker permit
You can work for 6 months from the date your employer checked your documents with the Home Office. They’ll then have to check again, and may ask you for documents to help.
If you were temporarily unable to work in the UK or unemployed for a 12 month period
You’ll need to also prove one of the following to your employer:
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you were involuntarily unemployed - for example, you were fired or made redundant
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you were temporarily unable to work because of illness or an accident
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you were temporarily unable to work following pregnancy or childbirth
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you stopped working to start vocational training related to your previous work
If you cannot use immigration documents to prove your right to work
You may be able to get a share code.
Your employer can contact the Home Office to check if you can work.