Overseas Workers

International/overseas Social Workers

Social Care 4U offer you the best social work opportunities in England.

We aim to provide you with a specialized service individually tailored to meet your requirements. To provide you with a fully informed transition from the first time you contact us through to your successful placement and beyond.

We aim to ensure that social care 4U is a highly respected and established recruitment company operating from a London base. The directors and senior consultants have specialised in recruiting for the Social care market place for a number of years and have also worked within social care organisations. We manage a number of contracts throughout the London region and have the experience and contacts to place overseas workers throughout England. With knowledgeable and experienced consultants able to match your experience with the needs of clients, all the best placement opportunities will be open to you.

For those of you who wishes to take up employment in the United Kingdom needs to be in possession of a relevant valid and legitimate visa. There are a variety of visas available. It is advised that all candidates wishing to work in the UK should research each option thoroughly before applying.

Prior to your arrival in the UK we will provide you with a named consultant who will provide you with all the information you need including help with building your CV/Resume, terminology, and the laws and legislations to make your time in England a fulfilling and career enhancing one.

Social Care 4U will greet you when you land in the UK. We will then transfer you to short-term accommodation of your choice providing it is within London or the surrounding areas. We will support you in finding a permanent place to live after we have helped you to find suitable employment.

Obtaining a National Insurance Number and Opening a Bank Account

All workers in the UK need a National Insurance Number. We will provide you with the necessary information and documentation in order to obtain this. We are also able to assist you with the opening of a bank account but you must bring a reference from your bank overseas.

UK Visa and Work Permit Requirements

To work in the UK a valid work permit or visa is required. We have listed some of the most common below;

The Youth Mobility Scheme

The youth mobility scheme is for young people from participating countries who would like to experience life in the United Kingdom.

The countries on the scheme now are:

• Australia;
• Canada;
• Japan; and
• New Zealand.

Under the youth mobility scheme, your national government is your sponsor. British overseas citizens, British overseas territories citizens and British nationals (overseas) can also apply under the scheme and do not need a sponsor.

Who can apply under the youth mobility scheme?

To apply under the youth mobility scheme, you must be a national of a country taking part in the scheme, and have a valid national passport from that country, which will be all the evidence you need to show that you are sponsored by the government of your country to apply for a visa under the scheme. (British overseas citizens, British overseas territories citizens and British nationals (overseas) can also apply under the scheme and do not need to be sponsored.)

You can apply if you:

• are a citizen of a country taking part in the scheme or a British overseas citizen, British overseas territories citizen or a British national (overseas);
• are 18 years old or over when your visa lets you come to the United Kingdom (becomes valid) and under 31 years old when you apply;
• have £1,600 in available maintenance (funds) when you apply

How long can you stay for?

If you are given permission to stay under the youth mobility scheme, you will be able to live and work in the United Kingdom for a maximum time of 24 months.

You can leave and come back to the United Kingdom at any time during the length of your stay under the youth mobility scheme.

www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

The highly skilled worker category is designed to allow highly skilled people to come to the United Kingdom to look for work or self-employment opportunities.

Who can apply as a highly skilled worker?

Unlike our work permits (soon to be replaced by sponsored skilled workers - tier 2), you do not need a job offer to apply under the highly skilled worker category. When you apply you are awarded points based on your qualifications, previous earnings, United Kingdom experience, age, English language skills, and available maintenance (funds).

You can apply under the highly skilled worker category now if you are:

• In the United Kingdom with permission to stay (known as 'leave to remain') in an immigration category that allows you to switch into the highly skilled worker category;
• Already in the United Kingdom as a highly skilled worker and want to extend your permission to stay within your existing category;
• Already in the United Kingdom under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, want to extend your permission to stay and are eligible to switch into the highly skilled worker category;
• Applying for permission to enter the United Kingdom (known as 'entry clearance') under the highly skilled worker category.

The HSMP is a points-based immigration scheme. Points are scored in four main areas:

• Educational qualifications
• Past 12 months gross earnings within a 15 month period prior to application
• Your age
• Bonus points may be scored if your earnings or educational qualifications were acquired in the UK.
• You need to score 75 points or more to qualify as a highly skilled migrant. It is particularly important that you identify which criteria you are able to claim before making an application, to avoid unnecessary delay and expensive failure.

www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

Ancestry Visa

Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the United Kingdom may be eligible to come to the UK to work. If you arrive with a United Kingdom ancestry entry clearance you will be allowed to stay for five years.

www.ukvisas.gov.uk

Workers Registration Scheme

From May 1 2004, most nationals of the new member states who wish to work for more than one month for an employer in the UK need to register under the Worker Registration Scheme.

Nationals from the following new member states; Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic who find a job in the United Kingdom are required to apply to register with the Home Office under the new 'Worker Registration Scheme' as soon as they find work.

www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

Bulgarian and Romanian nationals

From 1st January 2007 citizens from Bulgaria and Romania will not require leave to enter or remain to reside legally in the UK . All Bulgarian and Romanian citizens will have a right of residence in any EU Member State for the first 3 months of residence on an unrestricted basis and remain legally resident in that state as long as they wish, providing they are exercising a treaty right as a student, a self-employed person, or if they are self-sufficient. They will not, however, have an automatic right to reside as a worker (unless they are exempt from work authorisation requirements).

www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

Spousal Visa

This visa may be applied for if a foreign national marries a British citizen, or person who has settlement status in the UK.

www.ukvisas.gov.uk

EU Passport

European Community law gives EEA nationals a right to live and work in the United Kingdom.

www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

Work Permits

If you are a social work professional, Social Care 4U may be able to assist you in securing a permanent job and then help process your work permit.

www.workingintheuk.gov.uk