Work permits for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals

 

This section explains how to apply for a work permit if you want to employ a Bulgarian or Romanian national.

The work permit arrangements for non-European migrants have been replaced by Tier 2 of the points-based system. For more information about employing migrants from outside the European Economic Area, see How do I sponsor a migrant?

We issue work permits to UK-based employers who require them to employ Bulgarian and Romanian workers. A work permit is issued for a specific person to do a specific job for a specific time.

Do you need a work permit?

 

Work permits are not required for the following types of worker:

airport-based operational ground staff of an overseas airline au pair placements domestic workers in a private household ministers of religion, missionaries or members of a religious order overseas government employees postgraduate doctors, dentists and trainee general practitioners private servants in a diplomatic household representatives of an overseas newspaper; news agency or broadcasting agency sole representatives teachers or language assistants on an approved exchange scheme overseas qualified nurses coming for a period of supervised practice

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For any other work, you must obtain a work permit before you can employ a Bulgarian or Romanian worker.

 

Types of work permit

 

There are 6 work permit arrangements for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals. Select the appropriate heading below to find out whether and how you can apply for a work permit under that arrangement.

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•	Business and Commercial For filling vacancies that might otherwise be filled by resident workers.
•	Training and Work Experience Scheme (TWES) For work-based training leading to a professional or specialist qualification, or a period of work experience.
•	Sports and Entertainment For employing established sportspeople, entertainers, cultural artists and some technical or support people.
•	Student Internship For hiring students, who are studying first or higher degree courses overseas, to undertake internships with UK employers.
•	Sectors Based Scheme For recruiting low-skilled workers to fill vacancies in the food manufacturing sector that cannot be filled by resident workers.
•	General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) For employing workers whose employer does not have a commercial presence in the European Union, to work in the UK on a service contract awarded to their employer by a UK-based organisation.

 

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