Many EEA national and Swiss nationals are free to enter, live and take work in the UK without UK Border Agency permission.

However, for nationals of countries that joined the European Union after 2004 certain rules apply as follows:

I am a national of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Slovenia Worker Registration Scheme (WRS)

If you are a National of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia & Slovenia, which are referred to as the A8 countries, you are required to register with the WRS within one month of commencement of employment with the University and obtain a registration certificate permitting you to work. If you have been working legally within the UK for 12 months without a break in employment you should apply for an EEA residence permit confirming that they have full rights of free movement to live and work in the United Kingdom. If you are an A8 national then the following link to the UKBA website will be useful:

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/eea/wrs/

I am a Bulgarian or Romanian National

If you want to work in the United Kingdom you will need to apply for an accession worker card, and in most cases we will have to apply for a work permit for you to work for us. There are certain exemptions and the following link will provide all the information you require:

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/eea/bulgariaromania/

If you are not currently eligible to live and work in the UK, or your eligibility is related to your current employer (i.e., a work permit that has been granted for you to work at an institution other than the MMU), you must apply for permission to work under one of the following programmes within the Points Based System (PBS) enforced by the UK Border Agency:

a) Tier 1 · Highly Skilled Workers job offer not required

This scheme applies to workers who are highly skilled and will be required to use those skills in their employment. The advantage of the Highly Skilled Worker scheme is that permission relates to the individual, and is transferrable across jobs for the duration of the permit.

If you wish to apply through this scheme you must make the application directly to the UK Border Agency. When you apply you will be awarded points based on your qualifications, age, previous earnings, English language ability and availability of current funds to support you and your dependents until you are paid. To be successful you will have to gain sufficient points to achieve a threshold level.

b) Tier 1 · Post Study Workers job offer not required

The post-study worker programme is designed to retain the most able international graduates who have studied in the United Kingdom. Under the scheme you are eligible to look for and take up highly skilled or skilled work after a period of high quality study in the UK, without having to have your work permission application sponsored by an employer. If successful, permission to work under this category will be for a maximum period of two years (you cannot apply for an extension of stay under this scheme). Again, you must apply for the scheme through the UK Border Agency.

The scheme provides a bridge to find highly skilled or skilled work. If you are granted permission to work as a post-study worker, you will be expected to switch into another scheme of the points-based system as soon as possible.

b) Tier 2 · Sponsored Skilled Workers job offer required

Unless you have obtained permission under Tier 1, the University will submit an application under this tier. This involves the University applying for a certificate of sponsorship following a recruitment process for the post. If this sponsorship application is successful we will provide you with the sponsorship certificate reference. This will enable you to apply for a residency permit to enter or for leave to remain in the UK (depending on your existing status) based on employment in the sponsored post.

As the permission to work is provided for employment in a specific post, if you cease to be employed in that post you will lose your permission to work in the UK. Because of this, it may be preferable for you to apply as a highly skilled or post-study worker under the Tier 1 programme, outlined above.

The scheme is targeted at posts which require a medium to high skill level, for which a suitable national from the European Economic Area cannot readily be recruited. As a result, only positions above Grade 6 of the University’s pay scales and meet the UKBA’s codes of practice are likely to be considered for sponsorship.

To apply for this certificate we will have to demonstrate that, following a recruitment campaign:

• There are no suitable resident workers available to fill the vacancy.
• You have scored sufficient points as set out by the UK Border Agency’s Points Based System.

To reach the Tier 2 minimum of 70 points you will be scored against:

• Qualifications (at S/NVQ3 level or above)
• Ability to speak English
• Prospective salary
• Ability to support yourself (and any dependents) financially
• Shortage occupation list or the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT)

Before applying for employment with us you are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Points Based System. This can be done by going to:

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk

You can also self-assess whether you are likely to score enough points for your application to succeed by using the UKBA’s points based calculator at:

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/pointscalculator

You are strongly advised to ensure you are able to meet the points based criteria before applying for employment.