Professionals Moving to the UK
If you wish to come to the UK to work in a particular job, there may be specific rules and regulations that you are required to follow. If you are a national of an EEA country or of Switzerland, you will be able to move to the UK without difficulty. As an employee, you should be able to get help from your employer during the process of applying to live and work in the UK.
If you are working for a company that is in an EEA member country (see EEA and Swiss Nationals), but you, yourself are from a country outside the EU and your company want to post you to the UK, then there are various steps you have to follow. You will still have to get a visa in order to cross the border into the UK, but it may well be easier for you to be granted temporary residency.
However, there is an initial time limit of ninety days, after which if you are still based in the UK and your contract requires you to stay on there, you will have to apply for what is called 'posted workers authorisation'*. Once you have applied, if you are successful, you will be able to live and work in the UK for the entire duration of your contract.
If you are coming to the UK to work, and are not an EEA or Swiss national, nor working for a company based in the EEA, other restrictions may apply. Your employer will usually process a lot of the formal paperwork required themselves, on your behalf, such as applying for a work and residence visa or permit. Your employer should be able to give you exact details of the procedure involved in your individual case.
For more details, see:
There is also a government website designed to assist workers moving to the UK which details the various entry requirements for a range of professionals: www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/.
* Posted Workers Authorisation: allowance for a worker of an EEA based company to live and work in the UK for a selected period of time after an initial 90 day period.
