Worker Registration Scheme
Encyclopedia
The Worker Registration Scheme was a temporary measure used in the period from 2004 to 2011 by the UK to restrict incoming workers from the 8 member states of the European Union
(so called "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. 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.
in 2004, namely:
Note: In 2007, Bulgaria
and Romania
also became members of the European Union but did not become subjects 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.
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
.
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.
Member State of the European Union
A member state of the European Union is a state that is party to treaties of the European Union and has thereby undertaken the privileges and obligations that EU membership entails. Unlike membership of an international organisation, being an EU member state places a country under binding laws in...
(so called "A8 countries"). It attempted to help the UK's government
Government of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
to be able to keep track of the way that the UK labour market was affected by the workers from the A8 countries. 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.
A8 Countries
The A8 countries were eight of the ten countries that joined the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
in 2004, namely:
- Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
- EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
- HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
- LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
- LithuaniaLithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
- PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
- SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
Note: In 2007, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
also became members of the European Union but did not become subjects 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
Treaty of Accession 2005
The Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania. It entered into force on 1 January 2007. The Treaty arranged accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and amended earlier Treaties of the European Union...
to the EU shall be reached.
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. 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
Jobseeker's Allowance
Jobseeker's Allowance is a United Kingdom benefit, colloquially known as the dole . It is a form of unemployment benefit paid by the government to people who are unemployed and seeking work. It is part of the social security benefits system and is intended to cover living expenses while the...
.
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.
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 AccessionTreaty of Accession 2003
The Treaty of Accession 2003 was the agreement between the European Union and ten countries , concerning these countries' accession into the EU...
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.
Related articles
- Freedom of movement for workersFreedom of movement for workersThe freedom of movement for workers is a policy chapter of the acquis communautaire of the European Union. It is part of the free movement of persons and one of the four economic freedoms: free movement of goods, services, labour and capital...
- Treaty of Accession 2003Treaty of Accession 2003The Treaty of Accession 2003 was the agreement between the European Union and ten countries , concerning these countries' accession into the EU...
which allowed WRS measure to exist