Employment
This page outlines migrants' right to work in the UK, and contains useful information about working in the UK.
Depending on your residency status and any conditions we have placed on it, you may or may not be allowed to work while you are living in the UK.
British citizens and anyone with right of abode may work without restrictions.
If you have a residence permit that allows you to live here, it will say what restrictions (if any) there are on your employment. For instance, you may be restricted to being self-employed, or to working for a particular employer.
If you have a residence permit as a retired person of independent means, you are not allowed to work at all.
If you are allowed to work, you can look for a job:
- in newspapers, including free newspapers;
- at Jobcentre Plus, a government employment centre with offices in all areas of the country;
- in employment agencies; and
- on boards in supermarkets and shop windows.
If you need training, you can find details of available courses at public libraries, in local newspapers or on the Training and workplace learning pages of the Directgov website.
Before giving you a job, an employer may want to check whether you have been in trouble with the police, either in the UK or in your home country. This check will always be needed if you will be working with children or in the security industry, and it may be needed for other jobs too. You should be honest if you have been in trouble with the police. It does not always mean that you will not get the job.
When you get a job, your employer should give you a contract in writing, no more than two months after you start work. This should set out your pay, holidays, sick pay and pension, and should say how much notice you must give if you want to leave. There is a national minimum wage, and people in full-time employment should receive at least four weeks' paid holiday a year.
You must pay income tax and National Insurance on your pay. National Insurance helps to pay for state healthcare and pensions. If you are employed, you employer will take your tax and National Insurance contribution directly from your pay and send it to the government. You should receive a pay slip that shows how much you have been paid and how much has been taken out for tax and National Insurance.
If you are self-employed, you should contact your local tax office for advice on paying tax and National Insurance. You can find your local tax office on the website of HM Revenue & Customs.
You have a right to:
- be treated fairly at work, regardless of your gender, race, nationality, sexuality, religion or any disability you have;
- be paid the same wage for a job, whether you are a man or a woman;
- join a trade union; and
- receive paid time off for medical care if you are pregnant and time off after the baby is born. (This is known as maternity leave.)
See also
News & updates
Terms explained
-
British citizen
British citizens have the right to live in the United Kingdom permanently and are free to leave and re-enter the country at any time. British citizenship is given to people who have a close connection with the United Kingdom, which includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. A close connection may be by birth, adoption, descent, marriage, registration or naturalisation.
-
Right of abode
The right to live and work in the United Kingdom.