Frontier Worker Permit For EU Citizens

If you are an EU citizen who doesn’t live in the UK but you are required to travel to the UK for work, the Frontier Worker Permit will allow you to work in the UK, rent a place to stay in the UK or have access to benefits and services in the UK such as the National Health Service (NHS).

There are no Home Office fees to apply for a Frontier Worker Permit and you do not need to pay for the Immigration Health Surcharge. However, not everyone who lives outside of the UK but is required to travel to the UK to work will be eligible to apply for a Frontier Worker Permit. Find out if you are eligible to apply for a Frontier Worker Permit by reading the Eligibility Requirements below.

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Our immigration lawyers can work with you throughout the lifecycle of your Application for a Frontier Worker Permit, ensuring that you are in a position to successfully satisfy the necessary requirements to enter the UK to work or to renew your permit.

Garth Coates Solicitors is one of London’s most respected immigration law firms. Our founding partner, Garth Coates, spent many years working in the Home Office as an Immigration Caseworker. This experience has given him a unique understanding of what immigration decision-makers are looking for when approving Visa Applications.

What Are The Eligibility Requirements To Apply For A Frontier Worker Permit?

In order to be eligible to apply for a Frontier Worker Permit, you must:

  • Be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein;
  • Live primarily outside of the UK;
  • Have previously worked in the UK by 31st December 2020;
  • Have continued working in the UK at least once every 12 months since you started working in the UK;
  • Have spent less than 180 days in total in the UK over the course of any 12-month period;
  • Have work in the UK that is ‘genuine and effective.

If your Application for a Frontier Worker Permit is successful, your permit will last for 5 years. If you applied with ‘Retained Status’, your permit will last for 2 years.

You will have ‘Retained Status’ if you were working in the UK while living elsewhere by 31st December 2020 but were not able to work in the UK for a 12-month period due to:

  • An illness or accident;
  • Pregnancy or because you gave birth;
  • Involuntarily unemployment and you were either looking for work or doing vocational training;
  • Voluntarily unemployment and you were doing vocational training related to your last occupation;
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Irish Citizens are not required to apply for a Frontier Worker Permit. British Citizens are not eligible to apply for a Frontier Worker Permit.

If you are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and you seek to work in the UK from 1st January 2021 onwards, you will need to apply for a Visa. The type of Visa you will need will depend on the type of work you are engaged to do as well as the period of your engagement in the UK. 

Established in 2008, Garth Coates Solicitors is a leading Law Firm in Immigration who can provide professional legal advice to ensure that your Application satisfies the strict requirements of the Immigration Rules. 

Our team of legal professionals offer comprehensive and considered advice to enable our clients to make informed choices. We strongly believe that our clients deserve the best; we take our responsibilities very seriously to ensure that client satisfaction is achieved by providing a professional yet friendly legal service. We aim to resolve all immigration matters brought to us by working diligently and together with the client, keeping them informed of the progress of their case at all stages. Our outstanding success rate is maintained thanks to the high standard of our work.

If you would like us to assist you with your Immigration Matter, kindly click here to leave us an Enquiry. Alternatively, we can be reached via telephone at (00 44) (0)20 7799 1600 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (UTC+00.00 London) every Monday to Friday.