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Work permits

Switching into Home Office approved training or work experience

If you are not a national of the European Economic Area (EEA), you can apply to switch into Home Office approved training or work experience, without leaving the United Kingdom provided you have existing leave as:

  • a student; or
  • a postgraduate doctor or dentist who holds a valid work permit approval for a Medical Training Initiative (MTI).

You should contact the customer contact centre if you wish to switch. You can find their details on the right side of this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can the overseas national work while the application is being processed if they are already living in the United Kingdom?

    Normally if you have been issued with a new work permit you can not start working under the conditions of that permit until you have been granted further leave to remain (FLR) to do so using application form FLR(IED). However, you may work while the FLR(IED) form is being processed if you have valid leave to remain in an immigration category that allows you to do so.

    For example, if you are residing in the United Kingdom as a working holidaymaker or on a permit-free training visa, you can continue to work until a decision is made on your FLR as long as the work permit application and the associated application for FLR is received before the expiry date of your visa.

    An interim arrangement is currently in place whereby existing work permit holders can start a new job on the strength of the work permit permission letter, providing his/her existing leave to remain covers all or part of the period of the new employment. In these cases individuals will then have to submit a further leave to remain application before their existing leave expires, or within six months, whichever is the sooner. As the employer's work permit will have been approved, and the individual will still have to submit a further leave to remain application, this does not undermine immigration controls.

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