Frontier workers are people who live in one country but regularly work in another. This includes any EU citizen or citizen of the EEA or Switzerland who is employed or self-employed in the UK but lives elsewhere. These individuals are also referred to as cross-border workers.
For this reason, frontier working comes in a variety of forms, for example, a Spanish employee of a multinational company could share their time between offices in Madrid and London.
The Frontier Worker permit allows EEA and Swiss nationals to work in the UK while living in another country.
Individuals with a Frontier Worker permit will be able to:
Irish citizens do not need to apply for a permit; they have the right to enter, live and work in the UK under the Common Travel Area arrangements.
To be eligible for a Frontier Worker Permit, you must:
Eligible work is defined broadly. You must demonstrate your work in the UK is ‘genuine and effective’, which essentially means it must be more than small, one-off tasks
You may still be eligible to apply for a Frontier Worker Permit despite the gap of more than 12 months if you were:
This is known as having ‘retained worker’ or ‘retained self-employed person’ status.
If you become involuntarily unemployed and are looking for work, you will keep the frontier worker status for as long as you continue to look for work, as long as you worked in the UK for a year or more before becoming unemployed.
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The application for a Frontier Worker permit is free of charge and can be made online from either inside or outside of the UK via the gov.uk site. Applicants will be required to prove their identity as part of the application, which can be done either via the UK Immigration ID check app or by attending a visa application centre to submit biometric information.
Documents that you may need in order to apply for a permit include:
If an application is approved, a digital permit will be provided - a physical permit will be available. Permits will be valid for five years unless you hold retained frontier worker status, in which case, permits are granted for just two years.
We specialise in all aspects of work and business immigration law to ensure that employees have the right to work in the UK. Our specialist immigration lawyers can help with the application process for Frontier Worker permits by:
We can also discuss your long-term plans and individual circumstances and help you to understand what visa options are available.
Latitude Law has significant experience of preparing successful Frontier Worker Permit applications. Thanks to our extensive knowledge of immigration rules, we are able to provide pragmatic advice and meet our clients’ needs. We have connections with the Home Office and other immigration authorities so we can advise you with confidence, and ensure the entire immigration procedure runs smoothly and efficiently for you.
Working with a law firm can be a big decision, which is why we ensure that our clients are at the heart of everything we do. We are a highly driven team that is dedicated to providing clear and reliable immigration advice.
As a boutique law firm specialising in UK-inbound immigration, our experts understand the complexity and uncertainty that constantly shifting visa and residence policies create for EEA and Swiss nationals looking to work here whilst living overseas. Our lawyers can provide up-to-the-minute legal advice on how any changes will impact your application.
We are pleased to be recognised as a leading law firm by the following independent bodies: The Times Best Law Firms 2024, Chambers & Partners 2024, Legal 500 2024 and Who'sWhoLegal 2024. These endorsements from the international legal directories demonstrate our integrity and success in dealing with difficult cases. We are also proud of our 5-star Google reviews from over 150 satisfied clients.
As the requirements for a Frontier Worker permit visa are complex now that the 31st December 2020 deadline for beginning work in the UK has passed, to ensure success, you should seek specialist advice from an immigration solicitor before you proceed with an application. Latitude Law’s specialist lawyers can advise you about your individual requirements and ensure that your supporting documentation is compliant with the very latest immigration rules.
Get in touch with our legal team today on 0300 131 6767 or fill out our enquiry form and we will get straight back to you. Face your future knowing you have the dedicated support of one of our expert lawyers.
There are no application fees for a Frontier Worker Permit application, and individuals are not required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Frontier workers should receive their permits within 10 days of receiving the decision notice about your application.
A Frontier Worker permit does not not lead to settlement (indefinite leave to remain) as it acts as a right of admission for a person who is exempt from immigration control. However, permits can be extended indefinitely provided the applicant continues to fulfil the requirements of a frontier worker or cross-border worker.
Family members are not able to apply as dependants.
The Frontier Worker Permit Scheme is open to nationals of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Like most immigration applications, applications can be refused if the immigration status of that individual is lost (i.e. that person stops working and loses their frontier worker status), or for reasons of public policy, security or health. Appeals and administration reviews can be sought against refusals in certain circumstances.
Global Business Mobility (GBM) visas provide overseas businesses with various routes to operate in the UK. If your company transfers workers from the EU and other countries to the UK, or wishes to establish a presence here, it is important that you understand what is required of you and how to apply. Failure to make use of the correct visa routes could result in delays to business productivity, costing you time and money.
The UK welcomes highly skilled people from overseas and offers the Global Talent visa for those endorsed in science, humanities, engineering, medicine, research, digital technology or the arts. You need to demonstrate that you are either a recognised leader (global talent) or an emerging leader (global promise).
A Skilled Worker visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa. It is open to individuals wanting to work in the UK who have been offered an eligible job by an employer with an approved Sponsor Licence.
