Sectors Based Scheme Work Permits

It was in the year 2002, that the UK Government identified various skills shortages in certain areas in the UK economy and created a new opportunity to work in the UK under the Work Permit Sector Based Scheme (SBS). This new scheme allowed UK employers to fill certain types of vacancies with professionals coming from outside the UK job market. So far the work permit schemes had allowed filling up vacancies in high-level jobs but with this new scheme the Catering and Food Manufacturing Industry is now covered.

Please note that the SBS currently only applies to nationals from Bulgaria and Romania. The programme was scheduled to be phased out by 31 December, 2007, but was retained for both nations upon their accession to the European Union on 01 January, 2007.

We have created the first online guide to the new work permit scheme for the Catering and Food Manufacturing Industry.

To qualify for an SBS Permit

The employer must demonstrate:

Business is a bona-fide UK trading concern and supply supporting evidence as for Full Work Permits in the previous page.
They have been unable to fill the vacancy from within the EU home market.

The employee must demonstrate:

That they are suitable for the position offered. They must do this via an interview with the British High Commission/Consulate in their own country prior to travel to the UK.
Unlike with full Work Permits, there are no specific qualifications or experience levels required

Age Requirements

If you are not an EU national or cannot come under the working holidaymaker scheme this scheme is a great new opportunity to come to work in the UK.

You have to be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old.
If you are currently in the UK under this sector based work permit scheme you will normally be allowed to change employer.
The maximum period in the UK under this work permit scheme must not exceed twelve months in total, and the new employer must also meet the requirements for this scheme

Key Facts:

You may not work for the new employer until the work permit has been issued and a suitable stamp put into your passport confirming that you have the right to work for the new employer.
If you wish to work longer than twelve months under this sector based work permit scheme you will firstly have to leave the UK for two months.
If you employ nationals from certain Countries you are exempt from the Government fee requirements.
If you are already in the UK on the sector based work permit scheme it is not necessary in this situation to leave the Country and re-enter to be able to work for the new employer on the sector based work permit.

Type of Jobs

This scheme covers jobs with a relative low level of skills:

Please note that since July 2005, the UK no longer issues SBS permits under the hospitality sectors.
Six thousand work permits have been delivered for the Food Manufacturing Industry- mainly meat and fish processing and the mushroom industry.
You can find the full list of jobs bellow.

Sectors Based Work Permits - List of Jobs

Work permits will only be issued for the following specific jobs under the new sector based work permit scheme.

Food Manufacturing - 6,000 work permits

Food Manufacturing - Fish:

Fish process operatives – operating, minding, and cleaning machines that prepare fish for distribution and sale.
Fish filleters –prepares, cleans, cuts fish and processing
Fish packers – packing, wrapping, labelling, sealing, by hand or machine, fish for distribution and sale.

Food Manufacturing - Meat:

Lairageman – pre-slaughter animal welfare attendant
Meat Slaughter Person
Animal Gut Remover
Meat Bone Extractor
Meat Bone Breaker
Trimmer – trims fat from and shapes meat, after it has been boned and cut Meat Cutter
Meat Packer
Meat Process Operatives
Meat Cold Store Operative.

Food Manufacturing - Other:

Mushroom Processor –tends growing crops, picks grades and pack mushrooms for distribution and sale.

Please note: since July 2005, the Hospitality sector work permits are not longer available. Thus we have removed the list of hospitality sector jobs from coddan-visas-work-permits.co.uk.

Quotas

From the 1st of June 2004, the home Office reduced its quota for the Sector Based Scheme by a quarter. 6,000 permits for the food processing and 9,000 permits for the hospitality sector were released as follows:

1 June 2004 to 30 November 2004

3,000 work permits for the SBS food processing sector
4,500 work permits for the SBS Hospitality Sector

1 December 2004 to 31 May 2005

3,000 work permits for the SBS Food Processing Sector
4,500 work permits fro the SBS hospitality sector

Note that workers on a SBS work permit will no longer be able to switch to a usual work permit allowing them to stay indefinitely in the UK.

Advertising Requirements

As a UK employer, if you want to recruit outside the UK job market you will need to prove a shortage of skills in your area:

You will be asked to show a letter confirmaing that you have placed a vacancy at the Job Centre Plus or the Northern Ireland equivalent. This service is free! You will normally need to advertise the jobs for a minimum of four weeks in the six months prior to applying for the sector based work permit.
You will be expected to advertise the vacancy with the European Employment Service (EURES) network.

If it is the case that you are not advertising your vacancies as required and think that your means are more suitable, you will need to justify this in detail why you are not using the usual way of recruiting. Your application for a sector based work permit will not be allowed if you cannot fulfill those requirements.

Government Fees

Key Facts:

The new fee for the sector based work permit scheme is £153.
If the employee is a citizen of any of the following Countries: Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey there is no Government fee under European Law.

Change Of Status

Key Facts:

You cannot change your status to the sector base work permit scheme if you are already in the UK.
You need to make an application to the work permits UK in the UK.
Once you have been granted with a work permit you will need to apply for entry at a British Embassy or consulate from outside the UK.

Procedure after work permit issued

Key Facts:

Once you have been granted with a work permit, you will need to apply for entry clearance at a British Embassy or Consulate from your country of residence or citizenship before coming to the UK.
Please note that the sector based work permit doesn’t allow you to bring a spouse and dependants to the UK.

Changing Employers

Key Facts:

You will normally be allowed to change employer under this sector based work permit scheme.
Remember that this work permit scheme allows you to stay in the UK for a maximum period of twelve (12) months and the new employer must also meet this scheme’s requirements.
A new work permit needs to be issued and a stamp stating that you’re allowed to work for this new employer needs to be affixed to you passport before you start working for this new employer.
After the twelve (12) months, if you want to stay longer you will have to leave the UK for at least two (2) months.
If you employ nationals from certain countries you are exempt from the Government fee requirements.
Nationals from certain countries don’t have to leave the country for two (2) months if they want to stay after twelve (12) months on the sector based work permit.

Overview of Sector based work permits

The sector based scheme is very similar to the normal work permit scheme. Please see below some key facts about this scheme:

You have to apply to the Work Permits UK in the UK
You have to be between 18 and 30 years old.
The work permit is issued for a maximum of twelve (12) months, after which you need to leave the country definitely or come back after two (2) months on the same scheme.
The sector based scheme only covers the food manufacturing industry. Since July 2005, the Holiday SBS work permit is no longer avalaible.
The employer will need to advertise to show that his vacancies can’t be filled in the UK job market.
The employer will have to pay a Government Fee of GBP74 for each work permit issued unless the employee is a citizen of any of the following Countries: Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Turkey.
To enter the UK you will need to present the work permit and apply, in advance, for entry with the British Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence on a basis of a newly issued work permit.
You can change employer as long as the new employer meets the requirements to gain a new work permit and, if relevant, pays he Government fee.
You cannot bring a spouse or dependents In to the UK under this scheme
If you are looking into gaining permanent residence in the UK, this time spent on this scheme will not count. (Possibly under the ten year long residence rules).