FAQs About Employing A8 Workers

• Do all A8 nationals have to register?
• What does registration entail?
• Does the employer have any responsibility?
• Does an A8 national always have to have a registration certificate?
• How do I know if an A8 national is legally working?
• Is there any restriction on the type of work an A8 national can do?

Do all A8 nationals have to register?
No. There are exceptions and these are listed in the Border and Immigration Agency information on the Workers Registration Scheme

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What does registration entail?
Registration is the responsibility of the worker rather than the employer.

A8 nationals who are not exempt from the scheme will have to apply to register with the Home Office as soon as they start work in the UK, and within one month of starting a job at the very latest. They will not be able to apply to register before starting work. 

They will be issued with a worker registration card and a certificate authorising them to work for the employer concerned. They will be admitted to the UK labour market while they are working for that employer. 

If they change employers they will have to apply for a new registration certificate authorising them to work for their new employer. They will then be provided with a new certificate that authorises them to work for the employer concerned.

A worker must apply for a registration certificate each time the worker changes employers. 
 
If the worker is employed by more than one employer at a time, he or she must have a registration certificate for each employer.
 
The employee has to submit the form WRS and relevant supporting documents to the Home Office.  

Full details can be found on the Workers Registration Scheme  pages of the Home Office website.

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Does the employer have any responsibility?
The employer has the responsibility to provide a letter on company paper confirming the date on which the employee began working. That letter will be submitted with the application for any registration document.
 
The employer also has the responsibility to check if the worker is subject to registration and if so, if he or she complies with the requirements. 

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Does an A8 national always have to have a registration certificate?
No, not if he or she has worked under the WRS for twelve months continuously. This is one of exemption situations.  During the twelve months the worker must not have had more than 30 days without work. 

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How do I know if an A8 national is legally working?
An employer can confirm if the individual is an A8 national from the worker's national identity card or passport. 
 
The circumstances under which an A8 national is exempt from registration are listed in the Border and Immigration Agency website If the worker is already registered, he or she will have a registration card. The registration card is unique to the worker.  
 
The employer must check to see if the worker is registered or is exempt. 
 
Where the worker has not yet applied for a registration card, he or she will apply for both a registration card and the certificate to work for the specific employer. The employer should keep a copy of the application form as evidence that the worker has applied for registration. The registration must be applied for during the first month of employment. 
 
An employer is an "authorised employer" of an A8 national for the first month of employment. Where the worker applies for a registration certificate during the first month of employment, the employer remains an authorised employer until the application is decided and will keep a copy of the worker's application for the registration certificate.

Once the registration certificate naming the employer is issued, the employer continues to be an authorised employer and is sent copy of this certificate. 
 
Workers can be employed by more than one employer at a time, but need a registration certificate for each employer for whom they intend to work for more than one month, while they are subject to the scheme. 
 
If a worker is registered with an agency, there is no need to apply for registration certificates for each job as long as the worker is working on behalf of the agency for agency clients.
 
Full information and details of appropriate checks can be found in the Border and Immigration Agency website under employers and the Workers Registration Scheme 

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Is there any restriction on the type of work an A8 national can do?
No. Furthermore, A8 nationals do not need to register if they are self-employed.