Employing Non-EEA Workers: A Brief Overview

This brief guide is intended to assist employers in their employment relationship with workers from outside the EEA (European Economic Area), and provide a general overview of what employers need to do, both in the run up to employment and throughout the duration of the employment itself. It is, of course, no substitute for our specialist legal advice, but we hope that you find it useful.

Who needs permission?

It is worth noting that nationals of a state within the EEA (except Bulgarian and Romanian nationals), Swiss nationals and certain family members of those categories do not need permission to take up work in the UK. Nevertheless, in practice there is little difference in the procedures employers will have to go through in advance of a new employee starting, as all employees should really be asked to jump through similar, if not the same, hoops with regard to proving their entitlement to work. The requirement to provide evidence even extends to British citizens, certain