Work permits
Work permit arrangements
This section explains the eligibility requirements of the work permit arrangements.
There are six separate sets of work permit arrangements.
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Business and Commercial
The Business and Commercial arrangements allow employers in the United Kingdom to employ people from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to fill a vacancy that might otherwise be filled by a resident worker. -
Training and Work Experience Scheme
The Training and Work Experience Scheme (TWES) arrangements enable people from outside the EEA to undertake work-based training for a professional or specialist qualification, or a period of work experience. -
Sports and Entertainments
The Sports and Entertainments arrangements allow employers in the United Kingdom to employ established sportspeople, entertainers, cultural artists and some technical or support people from outside the EEA. -
Student Internships
The Student Internship arrangements allow students from outside the EEA who are studying first or higher degree courses overseas to undertake an internship with an employer in this country. -
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
The GATS arrangements allow employees of companies that are based outside the European Union (EU) to work in the United Kingdom on a service contract awarded to their employer by a United Kingdom based organisation. -
Sectors Based Scheme
The Sectors Based Scheme (SBS) allows employers in this country to recruit people from outside the EEA to fill vacancies that they are unable to fill with resident workers. SBS is based on specific sections (known as sectors) of the labour market. For nationals of all non-EEA countries except Bulgaria and Romania, it operates in the food manufacturing and hospitality sectors, but only for extension and change of employment applications. For Bulgarian and Romanian nationals, SBS operates in the food manufacturing sector, but only for new and change of employment application. - SBS only covers those posts within a given sector that are recognised as hard to fill within the United Kingdom. These are specified in the SBS guidance notes and they are at a level below the skills criteria of the Business and Commercial arrangements. The SBS operates on the basis of quotas that will be reviewed regularly.
News & updates
Terms explained
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European Economic Area
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.
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European Union
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.