Upcoming Changes to the Right to Work Process

Posted by Rebecca - 01 Jun 2021
There are some upcoming changes to the Right to Work Process. If you're an EU or EEA citizen

There are some key changes coming into force as of 1st July 2021 due to Brexit, meaning that the documents needed to prove your right to work in the UK may change. This impacts EU/EEA and Swiss citizens registered with Uni-versal Extras, but there are still multiple ways that you can prove you have the right to work in the UK as a film and TV artiste! This post contains all the information that you need to know.

Securing your Right to Work in the UK 

In line with the ongoing Brexit transition, there are upcoming right to work changes from 1st July 2021. This change only affects EU/EEA or Swiss citizens. If you are a UK citizen or a Non-EU citizen, then the requirements for right to work have not changed.

For EU/EEA or Swiss citizens, the new checks will vary depending on your group status:

Group 1 – EU Citizens with an Irish passport:

If you fall within this group, you can meet UK right to work requirements using your Irish passport. On the 1st July you will see the option to set your RTW status to ‘UK/Ireland citizen,’ so please make sure that this is selected rather than ‘EU/EEA citizen (not UK/Ireland)’ via your My Documents page if this is the case.

If you are an Irish citizen without a British or Irish passport, you can alternatively prove your right to work with your full Birth or Adoption certificate and an official letter from a government agency or a previous employer which includes your full name and your national insurance number.

Group 2 – EU/EEA or Swiss Citizens (excluding UK/Irish Citizens)

From July 1st 2021, EU/EEA or Swiss citizens (excluding Irish citizens) will no longer be able to use their passports or national ID cards alone as proof of right to work in the UK, even if you hold pre-settles or settled status.

There are three document combinations that you can use to prove your right to work in the UK. If you have an in-date Biometric Residence Permit for the UK, this is the only document you will need to upload.

Alternatively, you can upload your Passport and either a valid Visa or Permission to Work Document, or provide a share code so that we can perform a UK Home Office Online Check.

If you are an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen without settled or pre-settled status, you will need a Visa to be able to work in the UK, which coincides with the new points-based immigration system.

Acceptable documents that will demonstrate your right to work include for EU/EEA or Swiss Citizens:

• Biometric Residence Permit; OR
• Passport AND Visa or Permission to Work Document
• Passport AND UK Home Office Online Check

How do I get my Home Office Share Code?

You can obtain your Home Office share code online. To do so, head to the Home Office website, answer the questions and your share code will be generated. This code is valid for 30 days so please make sure you upload the code that has been recently generated to give us time to verify the code. After this time period, you will have to generate a new code.

Once you have obtained a share code, visit your My Documents and select ‘UK Home Office Online Check’ as the document type to provide your code. Once we have performed the check, we will be provided with a PDF from the Home Office to confirm your work eligibility. This document will then be held on your profile by our team. Until we obtain your share code, we will not be able to offer you work.

Please do not send us any letters that you have received from the Home Office regarding your status. This is for your personal use only and is not a valid right to work document.

More information for Irish Citizens

There is a long-standing agreement between the UK, Bailiwick of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, and the Isle of Man called The Common Travel Area. This agreement predates the UK and Irelands EU memberships; therefore, you don’t need to demonstrate your right to work in the UK if you are an Irish citizen, just as long as you have a valid Irish passport and a UK national insurance number.

I am an EEA citizen, do I have to take action?

The EAA includes all 27 countries in the EU as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland is not a member if the EU or the EAA, but it is part of the single market, meaning that Swiss citizens have the same rights to work in the UK as those in the EAA. Any other country is classed as non-EU.

EEA citizens (including Switzerland) will need to follow the same protocol as those from EU countries as stated above.