OSREC

The United Kingdom offers 2 main work permits which can be applied for by employers:

WP1 Work Permit

The WP1 permit alows employers to bing in skilled workers and people within the skills shortage areas of british industry.

For the latest list of National skills shortage occupations as listed by the Home Office you can click here.

If applying for a position that is on the National skills shortage occupation list there is no need to advertise the postiojn prior to maing an application for a work permit.

If the position is not on nthe skills shortage occupation list then you will have to advertise nationally through the Job Centre (if doing so its best to ask them to send it out through EURES as well as nationally inthe UK (EURES is like an EU online jobsite for job centres in the EU countries) or you can advertise in job sites or trade publications that are relevant to your industry.

You wil have to show proof of advertising for a minimum 4 week period before your application would be acceptable to the home office.

WP1 permits can be issued for up to 5 years and after receiving the permit the applicant will have to apply for an entry clearance visa from the local British Embassy.

How long does all this take?

If you have already done your advertising (which can be used for up to 6 months to show proof of advertising to the home office) then the work permit application should take no more than 1-2 weeks as long as you have submitted all the correct documents and they are not requesting further informaton. This is where working with an experienced work permit processing company will be invaluable.

A list of documents needed can be given to you by Osrec ifusing our services but you can also find them on the home office website www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

The visa wait times for applicants to get their entry clearance visa is approximately 1-3 weeks depending on the country they are coming from. Osrec can advise you of te best countries to recruit from.

Sector Based Scheme (SBS) Work Permit

The Sector Based Scheme work permit is only for applicants from Romania and Bulgaria.

The SBS permit is also only available to Fish and Meat production and Mushroom farms.

This permit is available for up to 1 year.

Applicants do not have to be for skilled positions t is suitable for packers and cleaners as well as skilled meat boners and fish filleters etc.

The SBS and the WP1 work permits cost 190 GBP to apply for and both will take approximately the same time if full documentation is supplied to the home offce at the time of application.

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