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UK, EU, Irish and Non-EU Right to Work differences

Right-to-work checks:


In addition to passport photo ID checks, we have to make certain legal checks to ensure you have the right to work in the UK. The checks vary depending on which one of the following two groups best describes you:

Group 1 - only Passport ID check needed:
  • UK Citizen
  • EU Citizen with an Irish passport
Group 2 - Passport check and Visa or right-to-work check will be needed:
  • EU Citizen (Except Irish)
  • Non-EU Citizen (Except UK or Irish)
UK Citizen:

Sections 15 to 26 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality 2006 require that we check documents to prove you have the right to work in the UK.

Most production companies prefer passport photo ID as proof of right to work in the UK. 

To do this, you will need your National Insurance number and Date of Birth handy. Upload Passport

However, if you are a UK citizen without a passport - we can check your identity by scanning a copy of your full birth or adoption certificate instead.

Suppose you are supplying a UK Birth certificate. In that case, we will also need an official letter or document from a government agency (for example, HM Revenue and Customs, Department for Work and Pensions, or the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland) or previous employer, showing your name and National Insurance number.

Non-EU Citizen: 

As well as a copy of your passport photo ID, after approval, Non-EU Citizens will be asked to upload a copy or screenshot of their work visa or right to remain document before approval. 

Important: A letter from the Home Office is unfortunately not sufficient to prove your Right to Work in the UK. Acceptable documents to upload showing UK Right to Work are one of the following:

■ UK Home Office online check Share Code.
■ UK Home Office Biometric UK Residence Card or Permit.
■ A passport stamp showing your Indefinite Leave to Remain.

If you have recently changed to a *UK Passport*, a right-to-work document is no longer required, but you do need to upload your new UK passport instead. Please click on "Upload my Passport" Instead and upload your UK passport.

To do this, you will need your National Insurance number and Date of Birth handy. Upload Non-EU right to work document

Student Visas:

Unfortunately, we are not able to register anyone who is in the UK on a Student Visa.

The terms of a Student Visa prevent you from being self-employed and working in the UK. As a supporting artiste you would need to register as self-employed, so, unfortunately, you cannot register with us with this Visa.

If you have recently changed to a UK Passport, a right-to-work document is no longer required, but you do need to upload your new UK passport instead.

Graduate Visas are usually permissible.

EU Citizen:

Do you already have settled or pre-settled status?

From the 1st of July 2021, EU citizens (except Irish citizens) who have settled or pre-settled status will no longer be allowed to just use passports and national ID cards as proof of Right to Work in the UK. In addition, you will also need to supply us with a UK Home Office share code. This share code will produce a PDF document for us to retain, which will show us the types of jobs you’re allowed to do and how long you can work in the UK for.

EU citizens without settled or pre-settled status:

EU nationals who have not been granted settled or pre-settled status will require a Visa under the new points-based immigration system.

Important: A letter from the Home Office is unfortunately not sufficient to prove your Right to Work in the UK. Acceptable documents to upload showing UK Right to Work are one of the following:

■ UK Home Office online check Share Code.
■ UK Home Office Biometric UK Residence Card or Permit.
■ A passport stamp showing your Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Steps to obtaining a home office share code:

  • EU passport holders must request a ‘share code’ via the Home Office online website to demonstrate their status and send us the share code.
  • The code is only valid for 30 days from the time of the request; if you have an older one, you will need to do it again.
  • We will then use this share code with other personal information on your application to download a document showing your work status, which we will retain on your record.
  • Unfortunately, we CAN NOT rely on your copy of this document – this is non-compliant; we have to check it with the share code and generate our own copy with our company name.
  • Please DO NOT upload your letter from the Home Office confirming your status; as it says in it the letter, this is only for your records and is not proof of your status and cannot be used to prove your status to others. This is why we need the share code instead of the letter.
If you have recently changed to a *UK Passport*, a right-to-work document is no longer required, but you do need to upload your new UK passport instead.

In summary, as well as a copy of your passport photo ID, after approval EU Citizens (with the exception of Irish citizens) will be asked to upload a copy or screenshot of your UK home office share code.

Upload screenshot of share code here: You will need your National Insurance number and Date of Birth handy.

Alternatively, you can email your share code help@castingcollective.co.uk please include your full name and date of birth in this email.

Once we have your share code, we can check and download a home office document and add this to your profile. This only needs to be done once, but we will not be able to offer you any work until we have generated this document from your share code.

The EU countries are:

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 countries. It operates an internal (or single) market that allows free movement of goods, capital, services and people between member states.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

The European Economic Area (EEA)

The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It allows them to be part of the EU’s single market.

Switzerland is neither an EU nor EEA member but is part of the single market - this means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.

Any other country is non-EU

More details can be found here:

Continuing to work in the UK if you're an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen:

You and your family usually need to apply to continue living in the UK after 31 December 2020 if you’re from any of the following:

  • The EU (except Ireland)
  • Iceland
  • Liechtenstein
  • Norway
Irish Citizens:

The Common Travel Area (CTA) is a long-standing arrangement between the UK, the Crown Dependencies (Bailiwick of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man) and Ireland that pre-dates both British and Irish membership of the EU and is not dependent on it.

Under the CTA, British and Irish citizens can move freely and reside in either jurisdiction and enjoy associated rights and privileges, including the right to work, study and vote in certain elections, as well as to access social welfare benefits and health services.

Therefore although Ireland is still a member of the EU, if you are an Irish citizen with a valid Irish passport and a UK national insurance number, you don't need to demonstrate your right to work in the UK with any additional documents.

Citizens’ rights after 1st July 2021:


How we check the EU, EEA or Swiss citizens’ right to work in the UK will change on 1st July 2021. 

After the 1st July 2021 deadline:

Your permanent residence document will not be valid after 31 December 2020. 

To continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021, you’ll need to either:

  • apply to the EU Settlement Scheme
  • apply for British citizenship

Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme:

You can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to stay in the UK. You’ll get settled status if you’re successful.

You can still choose to apply for citizenship at a later date if you get settled status.

Apply for British citizenship:

You can usually apply for British citizenship 12 months or more after the date on your permanent residence document.

If you’re married to, or in a civil partnership with, a British citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you’ve got a permanent residence document.

If you are not sure if you need to take action or not, you can check on the UK Government website

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