The first thing you need to know is that you, as an employee (or potential employee) can not apply for a UK work permit. A UK work permit application must be made by the UK firm which wants to employ you. There has been much discussion in the UK about introducing a points based independent immigration system for skilled staff, similar to that offered by Canada and Australia. Unfortunately, that has not yet occurred, and while we do have a pilot scheme for exceptionally talented individuals it is of very limited use.
If you do not yet have an employer lined up, don’t worry:
- You may be entitled to another sort of visa which will
allow you to work in the UK without having to get
a work permit
Once you do get a work permit, it is not a general permission to work in the UK. It is specific to the employer who applied for it. If you have a UK work permit and want to change jobs, you will first need another permit which will need to be obtained by your new prospective employer.
To hold a UK work permit, you will generally need to have high level skills and experience. To get a ‘full’ work permit you will need either:
- a UK degree equivalent qualification
OR
- 3 years senior level experience in a relevant, specialised area
OR
- an HND level occupation which entitles him to do a specific job
OR
- a general HND level qualification and 1 year relevant experience
OR
- 3 years relevant experience at NVQ level 3 or above
