My today’s topic is about EU Citizens in the UK: RETAINING WORKER STATUS. In my previous videos I’ve explained that in order for any EEA national to remain in the UK after 3 months, they should fall under the definition of a qualified person. There are 5 categories of qualified persons and in my previous videos I’ve explained the first two.

In today’s video I’ll explain the circumstances under which any EEA national may retain his/her worker status (and therefore a qualified person status) even if s/he stops working.

Any EEA national may retain his/her worker status if they can prove that one of the following conditions apply to them. They are:

EU Citizens in the UK: RETAINING WORKER STATUS
EU Citizens in the UK: RETAINING WORKER STATUS
  1. temporarily unable to work because of illness or an accident
  2. in duly recorded involuntary unemployment
  3. in involuntarily unemployed and have embarked on vocational training
  4. they voluntarily stopped working to start vocational training related to their previous employment

 

Let’s us consider each condition separately:

  1. Temporarily unable to work due to illness or accident

In this case you should provide medical certificates and a letter from your doctor explaining 1. the reasons for your inability to work and 2. why this is temporary. Interestingly, there is no time limit on the definition of ‘temporary’. Not permanent means temporary even if it lasts for a long time.

 

  1. Duly recorded involuntary unemployment

In order to meet this condition, all you have to do here is to provide proof that you:

  • have registered as a job seeker with Jobcentre Plus or a recruitment agency
  • entered the UK to find employment
  • or were already in the UK looking for employment immediately after living in the UK as a worker, student, self-employed person or self-sufficient person
  • and that you are actually looking for work and have a genuine chance of finding this employment.

You should also provide the following documents:

  • a letter from your former employer confirming:
  1. the dates you were working;
  2. that your unemployment was involuntary;
  3. a letter from Jobcentre Plus or a recruitment agency confirming you have registered with them;
  4. and other proof confirming that you are looking for work (e.g. emails/letters to/from prospective employers)

 

If you have been working in the UK for less than one year before becoming involuntarily unemployed, then you cannot keep worker status for longer than 6 months.

 

If you were working for more than one year you can keep your worker status for longer. This is if you can provide compelling evidence to show you are continuing to look for a job and have a genuine chance of finding this employment.

 

  1. Involuntary unemployment and vocational training

 

It is all pretty straightforward here, you have to provide all the documents as for previous section together with a letter from your training provider confirming:

o what type of vocational training you have enrolled on; and that

o you are attending this training

 

  1. Voluntary unemployment and vocational training

In this case, in addition to all the above documents, which I’ve mentioned in case scenarios 2 and 3, you should also explain how this training is related to your previous employment.

EU Citizens in the UK: QUALIFIED PERSONS, RETAINING WORKER STATUS