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United Kingdom Statutory Instruments |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Statutory Instruments >> The Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 No. 3317 URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_reg/2006/20063317.html |
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Made | 13th December 2006 | ||
Coming into force | 1st January 2007 |
(j) "employer" means, in relation to a worker, the person who directly pays the wage or salary of that worker;
(k) "family member" shall be interpreted in accordance with regulation 7 of the 2006 Regulations;
(l) "highly skilled person" has the meaning given in regulation 4;
(m) "immigration rules" means the rules laid down as mentioned in section 3(2) of the 1971 Act applying on 1st January 2007[7];
(n) "letter of approval under the work permit arrangements" has the meaning given in paragraph 1(b) of Schedule 1;
(o) "registration certificate" means a certificate issued in accordance with regulation 16 of the 2006 Regulations;
(p) "relevant requirements" means, in relation to an authorised category of employment, the requirements set out in the second column of the table in Schedule 1 for that category;
(q) "Sectors Based Scheme" has the meaning given in paragraph 1(f) of Schedule 1;
(r) "spouse" does not include a party to a marriage of convenience;
(s) "student" has the meaning given in regulation 4(1)(d) of the 2006 Regulations;
(t) "worker" means a worker within the meaning of Article 39 of the Treaty establishing the European Community[8], and "work" and "working" shall be construed accordingly.
(3) Schedule 2 (consequential amendments) shall have effect.
"Accession State national subject to worker authorisation"
2.
—(1) Subject to the following paragraphs of this regulation, in these Regulations "accession State national subject to worker authorisation" means a national of Bulgaria or Romania.
(2) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation if he has leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom under the 1971 Act and that leave is not subject to any condition restricting his employment.
(3) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation if he was legally working in the United Kingdom on 31st December 2006 and had been legally working in the United Kingdom without interruption throughout the period of 12 months ending on that date.
(4) A national of Bulgaria or Romania who legally works in the United Kingdom without interruption for a period of 12 months falling partly or wholly after 31st December 2006 shall cease to be an accession State national subject to worker authorisation at the end of that period of 12 months.
(5) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation during any period in which he is also a national of—
(6) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation during any period in which he is the spouse or civil partner of a national of the United Kingdom or of a person settled in the United Kingdom.
(7) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation during any period in which he has a permanent right of residence under regulation 15 of the 2006 Regulations.
(8) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation during any period in which he is a family member of an EEA national who has a right to reside in the United Kingdom under the 2006 Regulations, unless that EEA national is—
(9) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation during any period in which he is a highly skilled person and holds a registration certificate that includes a statement that he has unconditional access to the United Kingdom labour market.
(10) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation during any period in which he is in the United Kingdom as a student, does not work for more than 20 hours a week and holds a registration certificate that includes a statement that he is a student who has access to the United Kingdom labour market for 20 hours a week.
(11) A national of Bulgaria or Romania is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation during any period in which he is a posted worker.
(12) For the purposes of paragraphs (3) and (4) of this regulation—
(b) a person working in the United Kingdom on or after 1st January 2007 is legally working during any period in which he—
(c) a person shall be treated as having worked in the United Kingdom without interruption for a period of 12 months if he was legally working in the United Kingdom at the beginning and end of that period and any intervening periods in which he was not legally working in the United Kingdom do not, in total, exceed 30 days.
(13) In this regulation—
Authorised family member
3.
—(1) For the purposes of these Regulations a person shall be treated as an authorised family members if he is the family member of—
(2) The spouse or civil partner of a person who has leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom under the 1971 Act that allows him to work in the United Kingdom shall also be treated as an authorised family member.
"Highly skilled person"
4.
—(1) In these Regulations "highly skilled person" means a person who—
(2) In paragraph (1)(b), "relevant institution" means an institution that is financed from public funds or included on the Department for Education and Skills' Register of Education and Training Providers[14] on 1st January 2007.
Derogation from provisions of Community law relating to workers
5.
Regulations 6, 7 and 9 derogate during the accession period from Article 39 of the Treaty establishing the European Communities, Articles 1 to 6 of Regulation (EEC) No. 1612/68 on freedom of movement for workers within the Community[15] and Council Directive 2004/38/EC[16] on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.
(3) Where the Secretary of State issues a registration certificate during the accession period to a Bulgarian or Romanian national under paragraph (2) or in any case where he is satisfied that the Bulgarian or Romanian national is not an accession State national subject to worker authorisation, the registration certificate shall include a statement that the holder of the certificate has unconditional access to the United Kingdom labour market.
(4) A Bulgarian or Romanian national who holds a registration certificate that does not include a statement that he has unconditional access to the United Kingdom labour market may, during the accession period, submit the certificate to the Secretary of State for the inclusion of such a statement.
(5) The Secretary of State shall re-issue a certificate submitted to him under paragraph (4) with the inclusion of a statement that the holder has unconditional access to the United Kingdom labour market if he is satisfied that the holder—
(6) A registration certificate issued to a Bulgarian or Romanian student during the accession period shall include a statement that the holder of the certificate is a student who has access to the United Kingdom labour market for 20 hours a week, unless it includes a statement under paragraph (3) or (5) that the holder has unconditional access to the United Kingdom labour market.
(7) But this regulation is subject to regulation 20 of the 2006 Regulations (power to refuse to issue and to revoke registration certificates).
Transitional provisions to take account of the application of the 2006 Regulations to nationals of Bulgaria and Romania and their family members on 1st January 2007
8.
—(1) Where before 1st January 2007 directions have been given for the removal of a Bulgarian or Romanian national or the family member of such a national under paragraphs 8 to 10A of Schedule 2 to the 1971 Act[17] or section 10 of the 1999 Act, those directions shall cease to have effect on and after that date.
(2) Where before 1st January 2007 the Secretary of State has made a decision to make a deportation order against a Bulgarian or Romanian national or the family member of such a national under section 5(1) of the 1971 Act—
(3) In this regulation—
(3) But a document shall cease to be treated as an accession worker authorisation document under paragraph (2)—
(4) For the purpose of this regulation—
Application for an accession worker card
10.
—(1) An application for an accession worker card may be made by an accession State national subject to worker authorisation who wishes to work for an employer in the United Kingdom if—
(2) The application shall be in writing and shall be made to the Secretary of State.
(3) The application shall state—
(4) The application shall be accompanied by—
(5) Where the applicant is not an authorised family member, the application shall, in addition to the documents required by paragraph (4), be accompanied by—
(6) Where the applicant is an authorised family member, the application shall, in addition to the documents required by paragraph (4), be accompanied by—
(7) In this regulation "address" means, in relation to an employer which is a body corporate or partnership, the head or main office of that employer.
Issuing an accession worker card etc
11.
—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary of State shall issue an accession worker card pursuant to an application made in accordance with regulation 10 if he is satisfied that the applicant is an accession State national subject to worker authorisation who—
(2) The Secretary of State shall not issue an accession worker card if he has decided to remove the applicant from the United Kingdom under regulation 19(3)(b) of the 2006 Regulations (removal on grounds of public policy, public security or public health).
(3) An accession worker card issued under this regulation to an authorised family member shall include a condition restricting the applicant's employment to the employer specified in the application.
(4) An accession worker card issued under this regulation pursuant to an application that was accompanied by a letter of approval under the work permit arrangements shall include the following conditions—
(5) In any other case, an accession worker card issued under this regulation shall include the following conditions—
(6) An accession worker card issued under this regulation shall include a photograph of the applicant and shall set out—
(7) An accession worker card shall expire if the holder of the card ceases working for the employer specified in the application.
(8) Where the Secretary of State is not satisfied as mentioned in paragraph (1) or where paragraph (2) applies, he shall refuse the application and issue a notice of refusal setting out the reasons for the refusal.
(9) An accession worker card or notice of refusal issued under this regulation shall be sent to the applicant by post together with the identity card or passport that accompanied the application.
(10) In this regulation, "secondary employer" means, in relation to an applicant, an employer who is not specified in his application and who employs the applicant for no more than 20 hours a week when the applicant is not working for the employer who is specified in the application.
Unauthorised employment of accession State national – employer offence
12.
—(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), an employer who employs an accession State national subject to worker authorisation during the accession period shall be guilty of an offence if—
(2) Subject to paragraph (4), in proceedings under this regulation it shall be a defence to prove that before the employment began there was produced to the employer a document that appeared to him to be a registration certificate issued to the worker and—
(3) Subject to paragraph (4), in proceedings under this regulation it shall be a defence to prove that before the employment began there was produced to the employer a document that appeared to him to be an accession worker authorisation document that authorised the worker to take up the employment.
(4) The defence afforded by paragraph (2) and (3) shall not be available in any case where the employer—
(5) A person guilty of an offence under this regulation shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
(6) Where an offence under this regulation committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of—
he, as well as the body corporate, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(7) Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, paragraph (6) shall apply in relation to acts and defaults of a member in connection with his functions of management as if he were a director of the body corporate.
(8) Where an offence under this regulation is committed by a partnership (other than a limited partnership) each partner shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(9) Paragraph (6) shall have effect in relation to a limited partnership as if—
(10) An offence under this regulation shall be treated as—
Unauthorised working by accession State national – employee offence
13.
—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), an accession State national subject to worker authorisation who works in the United Kingdom during the accession period shall be guilty of an offence if—
(2) A person guilty of an offence under this regulation shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or imprisonment for not more than three months, or both.
(3) A constable or immigration officer who has reason to believe that a person has committed an offence under this regulation may give that person a notice offering him the opportunity of discharging any liability to conviction for that offence by payment of a penalty in accordance with the notice.
(4) The penalty payable in pursuance of a notice under paragraph (3) is £1000 and shall be payable to the Secretary of State.
(5) Where a person is given a notice under paragraph (3) in respect of an offence—
(6) A notice under paragraph (3) must give such particulars of the circumstances alleged to constitute the offence as are necessary for giving reasonable information of the offence.
(7) A notice under paragraph (3) must also state—
(8) Without prejudice to payment by any other method, payment of a penalty in pursuance of a notice under paragraph (3) may be made by pre-paying and posting a letter containing the amount of the penalty (in cash or otherwise) to the Secretary of State at the address specified in the notice.
(9) Where a letter is sent in accordance with paragraph (8) payment is to be regarded as having been made at the time at which that letter would be delivered in the ordinary course of post.
Deception – employee offence
14.
—(1) A person is guilty of an offence if, by means which include deception by him, he obtains or seeks to obtain an accession worker card.
(2) A person guilty of an offence under this regulation shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or imprisonment for not more than three months, or both.
Offences under regulations 13 and 14 – search, entry and arrest
15.
An offence under regulation 13 or 14 shall be treated as—
Liam Byrne
Minister of State
Home Office
13th December 2006
Authorised category of employment | Relevant requirements in relation to authorised category of employment |
Authorised categories of employment requiring a letter of approval under the work permit arrangements | |
Employment under the Sectors Based Scheme |
The applicant— (1) holds a letter of approval under the work permit arrangements issued under the Sectors-Based Scheme; and (2) is capable of undertaking the employment specified in that letter. |
Training or work experience |
The applicant— (1) holds a letter of approval under the work permit arrangements issued under the Training and Work Experience Scheme; and (2) is capable of undertaking the training or work experience as specified in that letter. |
Work permit employment |
The applicant— (1) holds a letter of approval under the work permit arrangements issued in relation to work permit employment; and (2) is capable of undertaking the employment specified in that letter. |
Other authorised categories of employment | |
Airport based operational ground staff of an overseas air line | The applicant has been transferred to the United Kingdom by an overseas-owned airline operating services to and from the United Kingdom to take up duty at an international airport as station manager, security manager or technical manager. |
Au pair placement |
The applicant – (1) has and intends to take up an offer of an au pair placement; (2) is aged between 17 to 27 inclusive; (3) is unmarried and is not in a civil partnership; and (4) is without dependants. |
Domestic worker in a private household |
The applicant— (1) is over 18; (2) has been employed for at least a year outside the United Kingdom as a domestic worker under the same roof as his employer or in a household that the employer uses for himself on a regular basis; and (3) intends to be so employed by that employer in the United Kingdom. |
Minister of religion, missionary or member of a religious order |
The applicant— (1) if a minister of religion— (a) has either been working for at least one year as a minister of religion in any of the five years immediately prior to the date on which the application for the worker accession card is made or, where ordination is prescribed by a religious faith as the sole means of entering the ministry, has been ordained as a minister of religion following at least one year's full time or two years' part time training for the ministry; and (b) holds an International English Language Testing System Certificate issued to him to certify that he has achieved level 4 competence in spoken English, and the Certificate is dated not more than two years prior to the date on which the application for an accession worker card is made; (2) if a missionary, has been trained as a missionary or has worked as a missionary and is being sent or has been sent to the United Kingdom by an overseas organisation; (3) if a member of a religious order, is living or coming to live in a community maintained by the religious order of which he is a member and, if intending to teach, does not intend to do so save at an establishment maintained by his order; and (4) intends to work in the United Kingdom as a minister of religion, missionary or for the religious order of which he is a member. |
Overseas government employment | The applicant intends to work in the United Kingdom for an overseas government or the United Nations or other international organisation of which the United Kingdom is a member. |
Postgraduate doctors, dentists and trainee general practitioners |
The applicant— (1) is a graduate from a medical or dental school who is eligible for provisional or limited registration with the General Medical Council or General Dental Council and intends to work in the United Kingdom as a doctor or dentist as part of his training; or (2) is a doctor, dentist or trainee general practitioner eligible for full or limited registration with the General Medical Council or the General Dental Council and intends to work in the United Kingdom as part of his postgraduate training or general practitioner training in a hospital or the Community Health Services. |
Private servant in a diplomatic household |
The applicant— (1) is over 18; and (2) intends to work in the United Kingdom as a private servant in the household of a member of staff of a diplomatic or consular mission who enjoys diplomatic privileges and immunity within the meaning of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations[24]. |
Representative of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation | The applicant has been engaged by an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation outside the United Kingdom and is being posted to the United Kingdom by that newspaper, agency or organisation to act as its representative. |
Sole representative |
The applicant— (1) has been employed outside the United Kingdom as a representative of a firm that has its headquarters and principal place of business outside the United Kingdom and has no branch, subsidiary or other representative in the United Kingdom; (2)intends to work as a senior employee with full authority to take operational decisions on behalf of the overseas firm for the purpose of representing it in the United Kingdom by establishing and operating a registered branch or wholly owned subsidiary of that overseas firm; and (3) is not a majority shareholder in that overseas firm. |
Teacher or language assistant | The applicant intends to work at an educational establishment in the United Kingdom under an exchange scheme approved by the Department for Education and Skills, the Scottish or Welsh Office of Education or the Department of Education, Northern Ireland, or administered by the British Council's Education and Training Group. |
Overseas qualified nurses |
The applicant— (1) has obtained confirmation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council that he is eligible for admission to the Overseas Nurses Programme; and (2) has been offered and intends to take up a supervised practice placement through an education provider that is recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council or a midwifery adaptation programme placement in a setting approved by that Council. |
(b) "letter of approval under the work permit arrangements" means a letter issued by the Secretary of State under the work permit arrangements stating that employment by the employer specified in the letter of the person so specified for the type of employment so specified satisfies the labour market criteria set out in those arrangements;
(c) "member of a religious order" means a person who lives in a community run by that order;
(d) "minister of religion" means a religious functionary whose main regular duties comprise the leading of a congregation in performing the rites and rituals of the faith and in preaching the essentials of the creed;
(e) "missionary" means a person who is directly engaged in spreading a religious doctrine and whose work is not in essence administrative or clerical;
(f) "Sectors Based Scheme" means the scheme established by the Secretary of State for the purpose of paragraph 135I(i)[25] of the immigration rules (requirements for leave to enter the United Kingdom for the purpose of employment under the Sectors Based Scheme);
(g) "Training and Work Experience Scheme" means the scheme established by the Secretary of State for the purpose of paragraph 116(i) of the immigration rules (requirement for leave to enter the United Kingdom for approved training or work experience);
(h) "work permit arrangements" means the arrangements published by the Secretary of State [26] setting out the labour market criteria to be applied for the purpose of issuing the work permits referred to in paragraphs 116(i) (Training and Work Experience Scheme) and 128(i) of the immigration rules and the immigration employment document referred to in paragraph 135I(i) (Sectors Based Scheme) of the immigration rules;
(i) "work permit employment" means a category of employment covered by the work permit arrangements, other than employment covered by the Sectors Based Scheme and the Training and Work Experience Scheme.
(b) for paragraph (6)(b) there is substituted—
(c) in paragraph (9), before paragraph (b) there is inserted—
2.
—(1) The 2006 Regulations are amended as follows.
(2) In Schedule 2 (effect on other legislation)—
(b) in paragraph 4 (appeals under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and previous immigration Acts)—
(c) in sub-paragraph (9), after "accession State worker requiring registration" where it first occurs there is inserted "or an accession State national subject to worker authorisation working in the United Kingdom" and at the end of the sub-paragraph there is inserted “and "accession State national subject to worker authorisation" has the meaning given in regulation 2 of the Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006“.
(3) Paragraph 7(3)(a) of Schedule 5 (consequential amendments) is omitted.
[6] "Civil partner" has the meaning given by Schedule 1 to the Interpretation Act 1978 (c.30), as amended by paragraph 59 of Schedule 27 to the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (c.33).back
[7] Immigration Rules H.C. 395, laid before Parliament on 23 May 1994 (as amended).back
[8] OJ No. C325, 24.12.02, p.51.back
[9] S.I. 2000/2326; amended by S.I. 2001/865, S.I. 2003/549, S.I. 2003/3188, S.I.2005/47 and S.I. 2005/671.back
[10] O.J. L 018, 21.1.1997, p.1 (the full title of the Directive is Council Directive 96/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 1996 concerning the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services).back
[11] Section 33(2A) was inserted by paragraph 7(b) of Schedule 4 to the British Nationality Act 1981 (c. 61).back
[12] Paragraph 135A(i) was inserted by immigration rules changes on 1st April 2003 (HC 538). The specified criteria are published by Work Permits UK, part of the Home Office, and are available on the Home Office website (www.workingintheuk.gov.uk).back
[13] Details of the Science and Engineering Graduates Scheme are available on the Home Office website (www.workingintheuk.gov.uk).back
[14] The Register of Education and Training Providers is maintained by, and is available on the website of, the Department for Education and Skills (www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister).back
[15] O.J. L 257, 19.10.1968, p.2.back
[16] OJ L 158, 30.4.2004, p.77 (the full title of the Directive is Council Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the member States amending Regulation (EEC) No. 1612/68 and repealing Directives 64/221/EEC, 68/360/EEC, 72/194/EEC, 75/34/EEC, 90/364/EEC, 90/365/EEC and 93/96/EEC).back
[17] Paragraphs 8 to 10 have been amended by the Schedule to the Immigration Act 1988 (c.14), Schedule 2 to the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 (c. 49) and Schedule 7 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (c.41), and paragraph 10A was inserted by section 73 of the 2002 Act.back
[18] 1999 c. 33; section 63 of the 1999 Act was repealed by Schedule 9 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 but continues to have effect in relation to appeals made before 1st April 2003.back
[20] Section 28B was inserted by section 129 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c.33) and section 28D was inserted by section 131 of that Act; both sections have been amended by sections 144 and 150 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (c.41).back
[21] Sections 28E, 28G and 28 H were inserted by sections 132, 134 and 135 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999(c.33) respectively.back
[22] Section 28AA was inserted by section 152 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (c. 41).back
[23] Section 28A was inserted by section 128 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c.33) and amended by sections 144 and 150 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (c.41); sections 28CA and 28FA were inserted by sections153 and 154 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 respectively.back
[25] Paragraph 135I was inserted by immigration rules changes on 30th May 2003 (Cm 5829).back
[26] These arrangements are published by Work Permits UK, part of the Home Office, and are available on the Home Office website (www.workingintheuk.gov.uk).back
[27] S.I. 2004/1219; the relevant amending instruments are S.I. 2004/1236 and S.I. 2006/1003.back