The scheme allows workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to enter the United Kingdom to take short-term or casual jobs. Your UK employer must apply for a work permit for you before you travel to the United Kingdom.

This work is low skilled and jobs are only available in these sectors:
• the hospitality industry (hotel and catering work); and
• the food manufacturing industries (meat and fish processing and mushroom production only).

Work Permits UK can issue a work permit for these jobs in hospitality:
• Bar staff
• Chefs (at National Vocational Qualification level 2 and below)
• Cleaners (in staff canteens and restaurants only)
• Concierge staff
• Food service operatives (serving food)
• Housekeepers
• Kitchen assistants (preparing food, cleaning and general help)
• Room attendants
• Reception staff
• Waiting staff

Work Permits UK can issue a work permit for these jobs in food manufacturing:
• Fish filterers (preparing and cleaning fish)
• Fish packers (packing and labeling fish)
• Fish Process Operatives (operating, minding, cleaning machines that prepare fish)
• Animal gut remover
• Meat bone breaker
• Meat bone extractor
• Meat cold store operative
• Meat cutter
• Meat packer
• Meat process operatives
• Meat slaughter person
• Lairageman (pre-slaughter animal welfare attendant)
Trimmer (trims fat from and shapes meat, after it has been boned and cut)
• Mushroom processor (tending, picking, grading and packing mushrooms)

In 2003-2004 there are 20,000 places on the scheme.

Your work permit shows the wages and hours you agreed when your employer offered you the job. You are entitled to the same wages and conditions your employer gives to people doing similar jobs. Your wage must be no lower than the National Minimum Wage. The law says how many hours you can work and what holiday you can have.

You can only apply from outside the UK. You must first approach a UK employer who is advertising in your country. If the employer offers you a job, he or she will apply to Work Permits UK for a work permit for you. When you have your work permit, you must approach your nearest British Diplomatic Post and apply for entry clearance or a visa. You must get your visa or entry clearance before you travel to the UK. If you are a national of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland or Slovenia, you do not need a visa or entry clearance. You should simply present your work permit to an immigration officer on arrival in the UK.

You can get permission to work for up to 12 months. We expect you to leave the UK when your permission to stay is finished. You may apply to return under the scheme after two months outside the UK.

If there is work for you to do, you can apply to stay longer under the scheme, but only up to twelve months at the most. Your employer will need to apply to Work Permits UK for another work permit for you, and you will need to apply to the Home Office for permission to stay longer.

You can move to another employer during the period of your Work Permit, but you can only stay in the UK up to a total of 12 months. The new job must be the same type of work that you are already doing. Your new employer must apply for a new work permit for you before you start work.

No, It is not possible for you to change your work permit category whilst you are in the UK. You must leave the UK before any application can be submitted. However, once you have left the UK you are not required to remain overseas for two months if a UK employer wishes to make a non SBS work permit application to employ you.

The scheme only allows you to stay in the UK for a short time, and you cannot bring any dependants with you.

To find out how to get help, please read the information available through the links on the left-hand side.