Employers

This page explains what responsibilities employers have under the Worker Registration Scheme.

The Worker Registration Scheme is designed to be a streamlined registration system that does not impose unnecessary burdens on you as a potential employer of a citizen of one of the eight relevant countries of the European Economic Area. See Who must register? for more information about requirements.

Individual workers are responsible for making an application. However, you should give the worker a letter on company paper confirming the date on which he/she began working for you. The worker will need this to apply for registration.

You are responsible for ensuring that you are authorised to employ a worker from one of the eight countries. You are authorised to employ someone during the first month that he/she works for you. If that worker has applied for a registration certificate during the one-month period, you will be authorised to employ him/her until we make a decision on that application. You will continue to be authorised to employ that person if we issue the registration certificate.

You should:

• keep a copy of the worker's completed application form to prove they have applied for registration within one month starting work for you; and
• receive and keep a copy of the valid registration certificate when we issue it.

You may be committing a criminal offence, and face a fine of up to £5000, if you continue to employ a worker if:

• the worker does not apply for a registration certificate within one month of starting work for you; or
• you do not have a copy of a completed application form.

We will send you a copy of the worker's registration certificate, if we approve his/her application, or a copy of the refusal letter. If we refuse the person's application, you will no longer be authorised to employ him/her and must stop doing so.

For more general guidance on a range of issues covering employing workers from other countries, you can contact the employers' helpline.