The EU transition: Our amended procedures

After 4 + years of negotiation, December 31st 2020 saw the UK leave the European Union. Plenty of businesses have had to adopt new practices, increase administrative efforts and review their operations in response to the departure – and we’re no different.

It’s important to note that we have never actually traded with EU organizations as such, but our eclectic range of contractors and agency workers includes many EU natives.

We intend for our services to remain 100% accessible to EU workers, but a few additional paperwork items and checks may be necessary. As of Jan 1st here is you can expect when joining our umbrella payroll services as an EU member:

  • You’ll be asked for a copy of your valid EU passport
  • We’ll ask you if you require sponsorship as a skilled worker, or if you have an existing right to work. Unfortunately, we are not a visa sponsor, so if you require a sponsorship we would work with you to find the point in the supply chain who could act as your sponsor.

If you’re unable to provide either of these items it is unlikely that you’ll be eligible for our services. All submitted documents will be checked against Government guidelines for validity and authenticity.

As has always been the case, if you are a non-EU foreign national we will be requesting proof of a valid work visa.

All visa and passport documentation and checks will be stored securely in accordance with GDPR parameters – you can find out more in our Privacy Policy.

July 1st Benchmark

The details above will remain true and will be abided by until July 1st 2021. From this point it will be mandatory that EU foreign nationals to produce a valid work visa or proof of the right to work in the UK.

Proof of right to work in the UK:

To satisfy our screening and vetting checks and pay you via the UK’s PAYE system we need assurance that you have the right to work in the UK. If you’re unsure what this means we would ask that you please review our EU Settlement Scheme overview.

We’ll be happy to accept any of the following documents as proof of right to work in the UK:

  • A right to work share code along with written permission to check this on the UK Government database
  • A Biometric residence permit
  • A visa showing the right to work and residence
  • A settlement/permit visa

If you were here prior to Jan 1st, 2021

A common question we’re asked is regarding the status of EU nationals that already resided or worked in the UK prior to Jan 1st 2021. Of course you are not forgotten, but you do need to take action, you have until June 30th 2021 to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, the application is quick free and relatively simple – again full details can be found in our EU Settlement Scheme overview. 

Contact us

If you’re unsure of your work status, eligibility, or right to work please contact us. We will be more than happy to share our knowledge and guide you accordingly.

Provide a helping hand

Don’t forget about friends, family, and colleagues, some may be unaware of the new rules – feel free to share this article far and wide. You never know who it may help.