Brexit Right to Work Guide for EEA Nationals

Brexit changed the right-to-work conversation for many EEA nationals and UK employers. The key issue now is not the old 2021 deadline itself, but whether the person can prove their current right to work in the UK through the correct route.

This is not immigration advice. Use GOV.UK guidance on the EU Settlement Scheme for employers, the employer right-to-work check guide and sponsor licence guidance, then take specialist advice where needed.

Watch: getting a UK architecture job without UK experience

Marwah Aziz’s Architecture Social conversation is useful here because right-to-work evidence is only one part of the move. International candidates also need to explain their project experience, UK fit and the value they bring clearly.

What EEA nationals should check now

• Do you hold settled or pre-settled status?
• Can you access your UKVI account and generate a share code?
• Are your passport and account details up to date?
• If you applied late, do you have a certificate of application or other evidence?
• If you do not have EUSS status, do you need a visa route that permits work?

What employers should check

Employers should use the correct right-to-work process before employment starts. Do not rely on assumptions, nationality, an old passport stamp or informal reassurance.

• Use the official right-to-work checks guidance.
• Ask for the proper digital proof route where required, such as a share code.
• Avoid discriminatory questions or treating EEA candidates less favourably.
• Plan sponsorship early if the role may need it.
• Keep evidence in line with your normal hiring and compliance process.

How to get a UK architecture job without UK experience

For many international candidates, the hard part is not only permission to work. It is proving that overseas architecture experience can translate into a UK practice quickly enough for the employer to feel confident.

• Be clear about your right to work, visa route or sponsorship need early.
• Translate project stages into terms UK practices understand: concept, planning, technical design, tender and construction information.
• Show software evidence, not just a software list.
• Use your portfolio captions to explain your role, responsibility and project context.
• Target roles through Architecture Social jobs where your experience genuinely matches the brief.

Where architecture hiring gets awkward

Architecture practices often move quickly when a project needs support. That is exactly when right-to-work questions can cause delays, especially if the candidate is strong but the employer has not thought about sponsorship or verification routes.

• A candidate may be excellent but unable to start without the right status evidence.
• A practice may want overseas talent but not hold a sponsor licence.
• A contractor route may not be suitable if the immigration status does not permit it.
• A rushed offer can become frustrating if compliance is checked too late.

Sponsor licence planning

If a practice regularly struggles to find specialist talent in the UK market, sponsorship may need to be part of workforce planning rather than a last-minute fix.

That does not mean every role should be sponsored. It means the practice should understand the cost, eligibility, administration and salary requirements before it needs an answer urgently.

Common mistakes

• Using old 2021 Brexit advice as if nothing has changed.
• Waiting until offer stage to ask about right to work.
• Assuming every EEA national has the same status.
• Forgetting that settled or pre-settled status is proven digitally.
• Thinking sponsorship is something that can always be solved after the candidate is found.

Architecture Social view

Stephen’s recruiter view is that right-to-work clarity is part of good hiring. It protects the candidate, the employer and the process. Nobody benefits from a late surprise after everyone has emotionally committed to the offer.

Next step

If you are a candidate, check your status before applying. If you are hiring, build the right-to-work question into the process early. For architecture hiring support, speak to Architecture Social about employer recruitment advice.