Moving to Jersey

Jersey runs its own work permit system: British and Irish citizens need no permit, everyone else does, and the prospective EMPLOYER applies, not the worker. Jersey visa requirements are aligned to the UK visa requirements, and the visa is a separate application from the work permit; an employee already in authorised employment in the UK, Guernsey or the Isle of Man does not need to travel abroad for a separate visa once a Jersey work permit is granted, and applies instead to the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service for further leave to remain. Job must be at or above skill level RQF 3 (A level or equivalent) unless an exception applies. Salary must be the higher of the occupation's minimum threshold or its going rate, based on a 40-hour week - thresholds are set per occupation, not by one general figure (published examples include chief executives GBP 84,100, marketing directors GBP 83,000, IT directors GBP 80,000). English at B1 or above for employment exceeding 12 months, with intra-company transfers exempt. Initial permit up to 3 years, after which a further permit may be granted; up to 5 years in the first instance for medical doctors at the General Hospital. Employers must run genuine recruitment, pay the work permit and recruitment agency costs without deducting them from wages, and give immigration officers access to the workplace for compliance checks. Permits issued for longer than 12 months can bring dependants, subject to maintaining and accommodating them without recourse to public funds. Time on this permit counts towards indefinite leave to remain; the 5-year qualifying figure below follows the standard settlement period and was not stated on the policy page. Separately, the employee cannot switch employer within the first continuous 6 months with an employer, save in exceptional circumstances, and the employer must comply with the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012.

Four temporary routes: short-term permits for agriculture, aquaculture, construction, fishing, horticulture and hospitality, maximum 9 months; annual permits for construction, sea-going fishing and hospitality, 12 months at a time and renewable to 36 months in total (48 months for construction where the project named in the original application is ongoing); student permits, maximum 6 months, for French nationals enrolled in further or higher education in France; and non-resident permits for overseas employers holding a non-resident business licence, issued for no longer than that licence's validity. The employer applies. Temporary employees in any category CANNOT bring dependants, and time on these routes does not count towards the qualifying period for settlement (indefinite leave to remain); every temporary route is followed by a mandatory absence whose length depends on the permit's duration. Work permit processing is usually about 3 weeks, with visa processing about a further 3 weeks from the visa appointment. Work permit fees are non-refundable unless the application was made for someone who does not need a permit; amounts were not published in the policy document reviewed.

Intra-company transfers: the transferee must have worked for the same company outside Jersey for at least 12 months immediately before the transfer, the two companies must be linked by common ownership and control, and the role must need company-specific knowledge. The permit runs for at most 3 years including any extension, is exempt from the English language requirement, and one issued for longer than 12 months can bring dependants who can be maintained and accommodated without recourse to public funds. Time as an intra-company transferee does NOT count towards indefinite leave to remain, and the transferee cannot switch employer or move into other work permit employment. Contractual service suppliers are capped at 2 years, or 6 months in any 12-month period under the EU-CARIFORUM, EU-Andean and EU-Chile agreements. Independent professionals are capped at 2 years. Contractual service suppliers and independent professionals must be nationals of a country party to the trade agreement under which they supply services. The policy page does not say whether contractual service suppliers or independent professionals may bring dependants. The employer must also comply with the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012.

Everyone who lives in Jersey has a residential and employment status issued by Employment, Social Security and Housing and shown on a registration card, which an employer must see; it is entirely separate from immigration permission and applies to British and Irish citizens too. The Government of Jersey lists six statuses. PERMANENT ENTITLED (PE): among the cases listed, a Jersey-born person who completes 10 years' ordinary residence (breaks permitted), a person who arrives before school-leaving age and completes 10 years without broken residence, or a person with 25 years' ordinary residence without broken residence. ENTITLED (ENT): 10 years' ordinary residence without broken residence; or a person who can guarantee a minimum level of tax income and other economic and/or social benefits for Jersey (the High Value Residency route); or a person experiencing significant hardship (other than solely financial hardship). ENTITLED FOR WORK ONLY (EFW): among the cases listed, 5 years' ordinary residence without broken residence, or an eligible partner with PE, ENT, LIC or LLO status, or with EFW acquired through 5 years' ordinary residence. PE, ENT and EFW give full access to the labour market. LICENSED (LIC) and LICENSED FOR LEASE ONLY (LLO): the person may work only in the specific role for which the employer holds that permission; these are for specialised skills, and the business must evidence its efforts to recruit on the Island, its financial contribution, training and succession planning. STANDARD (STN): a person who has begun to be ordinarily resident, or who has no other status after 3 months' residence; may work only in a Standard role, and Standard permissions go to seasonal industries such as tourism, agriculture and hospitality. An unmarried partner has Standard status unless they have lived in Jersey before. The 10-year figure below is the Entitled period; it is Jersey's local status, not UK-style indefinite leave to remain, which is a separate immigration question. Which homes each status may occupy is set by Regulations under the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012 that were not read here.