help! want to work in england
 

Does anyone know anything about obtaining a work visa for England? London specifically. I've been through countless sites online that offer to get it for me for hundreds of dollars... which isn't quite what I'm looking for. <BR><BR>I'm going to be there for *probably* four months in the late winter and early spring of 2003. <BR><BR>Also, if anyone has been through this and can offer me any advice, or even just any personal experiences, I would be thrilled. <BR><BR>Thanx,<BR>Jess

Most likely depends on your country of citizenship.

I'm sure that you will receive from the UK authorities all the in-depth help and cooperation that 'aliens' receive from the US Immigration service when applying to work in the US of A.

Yes - as Pat said, it depends very much on your country of citizeship. Many countries have Working Holiday Visa agreements under which foreign citizens (usually under 30, but there are exceptions) can obtain a visa to live in the UK for a set period of time and work at a variety of jobs. A Commonwealth citizen with a grandparent born in the UK can also acquire right of abode (includes right to work wherever one can find a job) in the UK for up to 4 years. An EU citizen can of course work in the UK unconditionally. If none of the above apply to you, consult the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or your local British embassy/consulate/high commission for specifics. Normally, you'll need a prospective employer to apply for a work permit on your hehalf, but there are some exceptions for current/recent students, and for people of internationally acclaimed accomplishment/talent. Also, if you're an IT and/or financial services whiz with 10+ years of experience, you may be able to set yourself up as an independent contracter (without a specific corporate sponsor). But outside of the WHV/right of abode/student options, forget about a stint like 4 months - no one will hire you, or approve you as a contractor, for that period of time! Better to work longer wherever you are to save up time for a long holiday.

Yes - as Pat said, it depends very much on your country of citizenship. Many countries have Working Holiday Visa agreements under which foreign citizens (usually under 30, but there are exceptions) can obtain a visa to live in the UK for a set period of time and work at a variety of jobs. A Commonwealth citizen with a grandparent born in the UK can also acquire right of abode (includes right to work wherever one can find a job) in the UK for up to 4 years. An EU citizen can of course work in the UK unconditionally. If none of the above apply to you, consult the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or your local British embassy/consulate/high commission for specifics. Normally, you'll need a prospective employer to apply for a work permit on your hehalf, but there are some exceptions for current/recent students, and for people of internationally acclaimed accomplishment/talent. Also, if you're an IT and/or financial services whiz with 10+ years of experience, you may be able to set yourself up as an independent contracter (without a specific corporate sponsor). But outside of the WHV/right of abode/student options, forget about a stint like 4 months - no one will hire you, or approve you as a contractor, for that period of time! Better to work longer wherever you are to save up time for a long holiday.

In a nutshell, you can't Work permits are obtained by employers and can only be obtained for jobs which can't be done by Brits/EU people.<BR><BR>the working holidaymaker thing only applies to commonwealth citizens under the age of 27

Try www.bunac.org/usa/<BR>the Government's immigration dept at: http://194.203.40.90/<BR>www.workpermits.gov.uk

In a nutshell, you can't Work permits are obtained by employers and can only be obtained for jobs which can't be done by Brits/EU people.<BR><BR>the working holidaymaker thing only applies to commonwealth citizens under the age of 27

Someone else will have to help with the specifics, but undoubtly there is a way to work in England if you are not British. We were there in May and got the impression that nearly all of the service work is done by people from somewhere else. The manager of our B&B in Bath was from New Zealand and said he got his job by answering an ad published in New Zealand. A waitress in the Cotswolds was from Seattle and most of the staff at the other hotels where we stayed--including the Savoy-- had accents that were decidely not British. None of there jobs appeared to be so difficult or dangerous that British people could not do them.

Jess, if you haven't already done so, please take a look at the Home Office Immigration & Nationality site @ http://194.203.40.90/ - this is the "bible" re legal ways to live/work/stay in the UK. Good luck!<BR><BR>RE Carla's comment - of course there are ways to work in England if you're not British, many of which have already been mentioned above. First, dual nationality is very common in the UK, and many Commonwealth citizens who don't qualify as nationals do still qualify for "right of abode". Add to that EU citizens (including dual citizens of any EU country, who may easily look and sound North-American or African or anything else), AND Working Holidaymakers (which are not only Commonwealth citizens - for example, the UK has a reciprocal agreemnt with Japan), AND spouses of EU citizens, AND spouses and children of immigrants and refugees, and you have quite a mix! Unfortunately, most of this does not help people who hold only US citizenship, which seems to be Jess's situation. <BR><BR>

I was ready to jump in and point out that there are thousands of American expats working in London with work permits, many of whom do not have any British, EU, or spousal connection - it's certainly highly possible to get a work permit for the UK without those things . . . for semi-permanent postings of a year or more. But in re-reading your post, I notice you mention you'll only be there for around 4 months. <BR><BR>What type of job are you hoping to do? If you'd consider something like being an au pair, waitressing, etc. (and you're not in this to make money), you might be able to just work illegally. Risky, obviously, but if you're in student mode and only going to be there a few months, it's an option.<BR><BR>You might want to check this board:<BR><BR>http://www.uk-yankee.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=visas<BR><BR>& ask them. I didn't post your query for you, but it's a pretty active forum specifically about visas for expats in the UK.<BR><BR>Best of luck!

I don't wnt to contradict katie, but if you check out the IND web site you will find that only Commonwelath citizens are listed as working holidaymakers. So, if you think you fall into a specific exemption be certain that you do.<BR><BR>You might well get illegal work, but since they now fine an employer &pound;1000 right off if he's caught, it's les likely than it used to be

If you do not get a visa for U.K. you might try Ireland.There are thousands of young Chinese workers admitted there to work in gas stations recently because there is such a shortage of workers.

What happen to Beth Anderson? If she doesn't know nobody does.

One word of warning about working illegally: if you are caught and deported, there is a good chance you will never be allowed back into the UK again.<BR><BR>If you've recently graduated from college, your best best is BUNAC. They will arrange a temporary visa for you, and with it, you can work anywhere in the UK. I did it several years ago, and it's definitely the best way to go if you meet the criteria. Check out the website that someone mentioned above.