# In UK with Spouse Visa - Work eligibility proof documents



## Bangle (Apr 8, 2011)

Hello all!

It's been a while since visiting the forums actually and I've been working and living in the UK happily, nearing two years now (almost time for ILR applications eek). I had a bit of unemployment these past few months and it's been ever so hard and frustrating to find work again and have finally just received a job offer (SIGH OF MEGA RELIEF). 

Now we're going through the details with HR and they asked for proof of my eligibility to work in the UK, and so I produced my entry clearance page in my passport... but that wasn't good enough apparently? They replied saying: "The entry clearance scan you sent is a good start (though I can't tell if it is a separate card or included in your passport) but it doesn't state whether you have the right to work in the UK." My visa only states the restrictions (no recourse to public funds), but not explicitly that i am ABLE to work..

At my previous place of employment, I only had to show my spouse visa and give them my NI number and that was sufficient, so I'm panicking a little now that I might not have all the necessary documentation I'm supposed to in order to work in the UK?

I do not have a biometric residence card, as I had applied for my visa while outside the UK and only entered after receiving the visa in my passport.


Here's what they have told me I must provide:

We need to see any ONE of the documents in list one below and any TWO documents from list two below.

List 1 (need to see one document)

Passport showing holder as a British citizen or having right of abode in UK
A passport or National Identity Card showing holder is a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland
A residence permit issued by the Home Office to a national from an EEA country or Switzerland.
A passport or other Home Office document endorsed to say the holder has a right of residence in the UK as the family member of a national from an EEA country or Switzerland who is resident in the UK.
A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay indefinitely in the UK.
A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay in the UK and that this endorsement allows the holder to do the type of work you are offering if they do not have a work permit.
An application Registration Card issued by the Home Office to an asylum seeker stating that the holder is permitted to take employment.
 
List 2 (need to see two documents in combination a or combination b and note that if the two documents are in different names we need to see documentary evidence eg a marriage / civil partnership certificate to explain the difference.)

*Combination a*

A document giving the person’s permanent NI number and name e.g. a P60, P45, NI card or a letter from a Government agency

_*AND*_ one of the following:

A full birth certificate issued in the UK which includes the names of the holder’s parents
A birth certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland
A certificate of registration or naturalisation stating that the holder is a British citizen
A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the UK
An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the UK
A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can stay in the UK and is allowed to do the work you are offering.
An Immigration Status Document issued by the HO to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay in the UK AND this allows them to do the type of work you are offering
 
*Combination b*

A work permit or other approval to take employment that has been issued by Work Permits UK

*AND*

A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is able to stay in the UK and can take the work permit employment in question
A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder confirming that the person named in it is able to stay in the UK and can take the work permit employment in question
 
----------------------------------------------

Now, from what I can tell here is what I might have? Please let me know if this is right/wrong? I'm so confused right now and starting to worry a bit... I haven't been working illegally have I? I've paid taxes on PAYE and everything! And I don't want to lose out on this job because I'm missing critical documentation somehow! 

List 1:
-A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay in the UK and that this endorsement allows the holder to do the type of work you are offering if they do not have a work permit.
OR
-A passport or other Home Office document endorsed to say the holder has a right of residence in the UK as the family member of a national from an EEA country or Switzerland who is resident in the UK.

**not sure which one of these is the right one? I have a visa in my passport that says I'm here as a spouse (thus family) and should allow me to work without restrictions, but it doesn't state explicitly in writing on the visa that I am allowed to work.


List 2, Combination A:
-A document giving the person’s permanent NI number and name e.g. a P60, P45, NI card or a letter from a Government agency
(I've got NI card, P45s, etc. easy)

It's the second document required in Combination A that is troubling me. I don't seem to have ANY of the ones listed. The first few don't apply to me as I'm not a British citizen. So I'm thinking I will have to come up with one of the following: 

A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the UK
An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the UK
A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can stay in the UK and is allowed to do the work you are offering.
An Immigration Status Document issued by the HO to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay in the UK AND this allows them to do the type of work you are offering

But I don't seem to have any of them! Is there a way to request these? I can't recall ever receiving a letter from Home Office that specifically states my immigration status or work eligibility... Is this a document I was meant to apply for? What is an Immigration Status Document? I have never heard of it before 


Any help would be greatly appreciated! I apologize if this is all confusing, I am having a little mini-panic. I really need to get back into the work force! Can't stand the unemployment any longer 

(I'd sort of "forgotten" what a nightmare all of this stuff is... it's making me dread my ILR application...)


Many thanks 
Bangle


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## marie1715 (Feb 5, 2013)

I have just stumbled across your post with similar concerns. I am wondering how it all got resolved?

I have just been issued with a spouse visa outside the UK as well, so no biometric residence card, and the first thing I thought of when I saw the visa was that employers will get confused that our right to work is not explicitly stated. As I am already beginning to seek employment I want to make sure I have any additional paperwork/proof needed! 

Hope it all turned out okay in the end!


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## ddang (Jun 21, 2012)

marie1715 said:


> I have just stumbled across your post with similar concerns. I am wondering how it all got resolved?
> 
> I have just been issued with a spouse visa outside the UK as well, so no biometric residence card, and the first thing I thought of when I saw the visa was that employers will get confused that our right to work is not explicitly stated. As I am already beginning to seek employment I want to make sure I have any additional paperwork/proof needed!
> 
> Hope it all turned out okay in the end!


Spouse visa stamp entitles you to work in the UK. Just show them the visa stamp and your NI number. This is your proof. It's on the UKBA website under the rules. You don't need any additional paperwork or proof.


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## marie1715 (Feb 5, 2013)

ddang said:


> Spouse visa stamp entitles you to work in the UK. Just show them the visa stamp and your NI number. This is your proof. It's on the UKBA website under the rules. You don't need any additional paperwork or proof.


Yes, I know I am entitled to work and hopefully won't run into this situation. I was just curious how the situation resolved for the OP and if she obtained anything else, as I know how stringent HR departments can be.


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## Bangle (Apr 8, 2011)

Hey Marie 

In the end, it got resolved fairly painlessly (save for the moment of panic when the HR person was insisting I needed all the documents listed by the above outline). The HR person agreed with me that the Visa and NI number should be enough proof of eligibility but was not confident in it enough to accept it outright. So they had to phone up an employment advisor of some kind to confirm that this was the case. 

I'm not sure which number they used specifically, but presumably they have documentation that has contact information on it for them in these sorts of cases.

So if you do run into issues, you can tell them to call home office to confirm you do not need additional paperwork/documents. 

Best of luck on your job hunt!
Bangle


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes, they can phone Employer Helpline:
UK Border Agency - Helpline


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