Worker Registration Scheme
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The Accession State Worker Registration Scheme was a temporary measure used in the period from 2004 to 2011 by the UK to restrict incoming workers from the eight new Eastern European member states of the European Union (the "A8 countries"). It attempted to help the UK's government to be able to keep track of the way that the UK labour market was affected by the workers from the A8 countries.[1] The scheme is no longer in operation as the last day on which a new worker in the U.K. was required to register was the 1st of April 2011.
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[edit] A8 Countries
The A8 countries were eight of the ten countries that joined the European Union in 2004, namely:
Note: In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania also became members of the European Union but did not become subject to WRS regulations. Bulgarians and Romanians will still need a work permit in order to work legally in the UK no longer than until 2014 when the maximum extent (7 years) of this temporary measures allowed by their Treaty of Accession to the EU shall be reached.
[edit] Registration and benefits
Workers from the above countries were required to register on the WRS scheme within a month of joining a new employer. However, there were no incentives to do this: registration took time and money, immigrants were able to work (illegally) without it, and no immigrant has ever been prosecuted for not having registered on the scheme[citation needed]. Consequently, immigration data from the WRS was indicative at best.
By registering, immigrants were able to claim some basic benefits, such as Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Tax Credits. However, the worker must have been employed to be able to claim these benefits. If the worker was able to prove that they had worked legally for at least a 12 month period (without a break in employment of more than 30 days) then they gained the ability to claim social security benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance.
[edit] Exemption
Workers that were exempt from registering on the scheme included:
- those who were self-employed
- those who were working legally in the UK already in the same job that they held on 1 May 2004
- those who had left to enter on the SAWS scheme before 1 May 2004 and had started working in the UK under the SAWS scheme on or after 1 May 2004
- those who were providing services in the UK on behalf of an employer who is not established in the UK.
[edit] Abolition
On 1st May 2011 the worker registration scheme was abolished. By the time the A8 countries had been in the EU for over seven years and the maximum extent of the temporary measures, which were allowed by the Treaty of Accession to the EU (from 2003), had been reached and therefore since then their nationals enjoy the same rights as those of the older member states. As the scheme only required people to register if they were working for longer than one month the practical abolition of scheme had been done on 1st April 2011.
[edit] Related articles
- Freedom of movement for workers
- Treaty of Accession 2003 which allowed WRS measure to exist
[edit] References
- ^ "East Europe worker 'curbs' kept". BBC News. 8 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7990607.stm. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
[edit] External links
- Working in the UK[1]
