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Visas and Work Permits
Approval to work on a UK work permit is currently a two stage process. Firstly the employer needs to gain a successful work permit approval from the Border and Immigration Agency in Sheffield in the UK. Secondly, the worker needs to apply for Entry Clearance or Further Leave to Remain once the work permit has been approvedWhat is Entry Clearance?
Entry Clearance is the process of gaining Leave to Enter the UK.Non EEA nationals on work permits are required to gain Entry Clearance from the British Embassy or Consular post in their home country before they arrive in the UK. An Entry Clearance visa is stamped in the work permit holder’s passport once approved. The work permit holder can then enter the UK to begin work.
What is Further Leave to Remain (FLR)?
Further Leave to Remain is the process of extending, or varying, Leave to Remain.When a work permit holder first enters the UK they are granted Leave to Enter (Entry Clearance) for the duration of the work permit approval. When the work permit is extended or transferred the work permit holder receives a Letter of Permission detailing the change of employment/extension of the work permit and the new expiry date. In order to work on the new work permit the holder must extend their existing Leave to Remain by undertaking a FLR application. It is essential that an FLR application is made before the old leave (visa) expires; if the application for an extended / re-sponsored permit has not been approved before your old visa expires, then you should still submit an FLR application (you can explain that you will forward the Border and Immigration Agency letter, hopefully an approval, when it arrives)
Work Permit Approvals and Visa Types
The Border and Immigration Agency will either send out a Work Permit or a Letter of Permission once they approve an application. The type of document an employer receives depends upon the location of the worker when the work permit application was submitted.Work Permit applications for people outside the UK at the time of application
The Border and Immigration Agency will send out a Work Permit if the person is outside the UK at the time of application. The Work Permit should be forwarded onto the worker in their home country so they can apply for entry clearance.
Work Permit applications for people inside the UK at the time of application.
If the person is in the UK at the time of the application the Border and Immigration Agency will send out a Letter of Permission. The person must then make a Further Leave to Remain application.
If the person is in the UK on a status other than work permit they will be granted Further Leave to Remain only where they qualify under the Immigration Rules on Switching.
If the person does not qualify for Further Leave to Remain under the Immigration Rules on Switching an out of country work permit application should be made and the worker should apply for Entry Clearance.
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