Today, the Work Registration Scheme (WRS) is a thing of the past; since 1 May 2011, Poles no longer need to register with the Home Office to take up employment in the UK. Although the so-called transitional period has ended, it’s still worth understanding the ins and outs of the register.
What is WRS?
The Work Registration Scheme was a temporary measure implemented by the UK between 2004 and 2011 to limit the inflow of workers from eight EU Member States. People covered by the scheme had to register if they wanted to work for a UK employer for more than one month. After 12 months of continuous legal employment, these workers could move freely within the UK and obtain a residence permit.
Who was eligible for the Work Registration Scheme?
The Work Registration Scheme applied to citizens of the following countries:
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Poland
- Lithuania
- Latvia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Hungary
In addition to being a resident of one of the countries listed above, certain other conditions had to be met in order to register:
- Starting a new job after 1 May 2004;
- Starting work in the UK before 1 May 2004 without permission or in breach of immigration rules;
- Working on a temporary or short-term basis;
- Working and studying.
Who was exempt from registration?
To be exempt from the Work Registration Scheme, you had to meet at least one of the following conditions:
- Run your own business;
- Working in the UK for 12 months or more in the same job you had on 1 May 2004;
- Working legally in the UK and staying in the same job after 1 May 2004;
- Be granted permission to come to the UK as a seasonal agricultural worker before 1 May and start work under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme on or after 1 May;
- Provide services in the UK on behalf of a non-UK employer;
- Being a citizen of the UK, another EEA country (other than the 8 new member states) or Switzerland;
- Being an immediate family member of a Swiss or EEA national working in the UK;
- Being a family member of a Swiss or EEA citizen who is in the UK as a student, retired person or person with sufficient resources.
Cost of registering with the Work Registration Scheme
To participate in the Work Registration Scheme, an application fee of £90 had to be paid. Interestingly, if paid by cheque, the full amount had to be on a single cheque. If the amount was split between two cheques (e.g. £50 and £40), the application would be rejected. Payments from foreign banks were also not accepted.
It turns out that getting a job in the UK between 2004 and 2011 wasn’t as easy as you might think. Registering with the Home Office added extra stress. This is not surprising as, in addition to the extra paperwork, there were considerable costs involved. Fortunately, today a Pole travelling to the UK to look for work does not have to worry about the WRS at all.
