Employment

The right to work

Who has the right to work

A person’s right to work in the UK depends on their immigration status.

People who will generally have the right to work include:

• British and Irish citizens
• people with the right of abode
• people with indefinite leave to remain or enter
• people with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

Many people with limited leave to remain will also have permission to work, although this may be subject to restrictions.

Other people who may have the right to work include:

• people with section 3C leave who made an in-time application and previously had permission to work
• asylum seekers who have been granted permission to work

Examples of immigration routes that allow work (sometimes with conditions) include:

• refugee status or humanitarian protection
• pre settled status
• Skilled Worker visa (including Health and Care Worker)
• student visa
• Hong Kong BN(O) visa
• Ukraine schemes
• family routes (partner or parent)
• dependants of workers or students
• UK Ancestry

Restrictions on the right to work

Some people are only permitted to work under certain conditions. For example:

• Skilled Worker visa holders are restricted to working for their sponsoring employer in an eligible role
• Scale-up Worker visa holders must work for their sponsor for the first 6 months, after which they can change employment
• asylum seekers who are granted permission to work are limited to jobs on the Immigration Salary List
• student visa holders are subject to limits on working hours (usually up to 20 hours per week during term time)

Where a person has permission to work, this will normally be set out in their immigration conditions.

Section 3C leave

A person who makes an in time application to extend or vary their leave will usually retain their existing conditions under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971.

This means they can continue to:

• live in the UK lawfully
• work (if previously permitted)
• access any entitlements linked to their previous leave

Further information is available on the section 3C leave page.

Who does not have the right to work

A person will not have the right to work if they do not have immigration permission allowing them to do so. For example:

• people visiting the UK (including non visa nationals visiting for up to 6 months)
• asylum seekers (unless permission to work has been granted)
• people who are not lawfully present in the UK

Working without permission is a criminal offence. Employers must also carry out right to work checks before employing someone.

Demonstrating the right to work

Employers must carry out right to work checks, and individuals must be able to demonstrate their right to work.

Most people now prove their right to work using their digital immigration status (eVisa). This is done by accessing their UKVI account and generating a share code, which can be provided to an employer to confirm their right to work.

Other forms of evidence may still be used in certain cases, including:

• a passport (for British or Irish citizens)  
• an application registration card (ARC), where an asylum seeker has permission to work  
• a biometric residence permit (BRP), where still issued  

The Home Office is moving towards a fully digital system, and physical documents are being phased out. Further information is available in our confirming immigration status page.

Page updated: 09 June 2026