Right to Work Changes: What EU Citizens Need to Know
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Right to Work Changes: What EU Citizens Need to Know
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Right to Work Changes: What EU Citizens Need to Know
What are Right to Work checks?
Before someone starts work in the UK, employers must carry out Right to Work checks to make sure they are allowed to work here. This is a legal requirement to prevent illegal working in the UK and provides employers with protection against potential penalties.
If you have settled status or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), you can prove your right to work online. Find out how to prove your right to work using a share code from your UKVI account.
What are the Right to Work changes from October 2026?
Previously, right to work checks only applied to employees directly employed by businesses and organisations. From 1 October 2026, right to work checks will apply to other work arrangements, meaning checks will be required for:
- Employees (as before)
- Workers (under a contract for work or services)
- Individual subcontractors or sole traders
- Substitute workers
- People engaged through online platform or gig economy services
These changes are to stop illegal working in the UK by applying right to work checks to more types of workers, and by making more organisations that hire workers responsible for completing these checks.
How could the new Right to Work checks affect people with Settled Status or Pre-Settled Status?
Your right to work remains the same. If you have EUSS status, your UKVI account will prove your right to work. You may, however, be asked to provide proof of your right to work in jobs where you previously were not asked.
The changes mainly affect sectors that rely on flexible labour, contractors, subcontractors, agency workers or gig-economy workers.
For example:
- Construction
- Hospitality
- Logistics
- Delivery services
- Taxi and private hire services
- Social and healthcare services
- Agriculture
- Employment agencies
Right to work checks must be fairly and consistently applied by those carrying them out to avoid unlawful discrimination. If you have EUSS status, you should only be asked to complete checks prior to commencing a new job. You should not be asked to complete follow-up checks unless you change jobs.
How do I prove my Right to Work?
If you have settled status or pre-settled status, you can prove your right to work through your UKVI account. Make sure:
- You can access your UKVI account
- Your passport or identity document details are up to date
- You can generate a share code and explain to employers how they can use it
- You have copies of important documents or Home Office correspondence
Having these details ready can make starting work quicker and easier.
