Employment requirements and right to work

Check your qualifications

Regulated professional Register

Some professions in the UK are regulated. This can mean there is a legal requirement to have certain qualifications or experience.

You can search for your profession on the Regulated Profession Register to see what qualifications or experience you need. You can also check whether qualifications from outside the UK are recognised.

Find out more about the Regulated Profession Register (gov.uk)

Qualification recognition (QLS)

You might also need to show that your overseas qualification is the same level as a UK qualification when you apply for a UK visa. You should use the Qualification and Language Service (QLS) if you need to give evidence of your overseas qualification as part of your visa application.

Find out more about the Qualification and Language Service (qls.ecctis.com)

Right to work documents

Passport and share code

You need to prove your right to work in the UK before you start a new job.
You can prove your right to work by showing your employer either:  

Your valid passport
Your online share code

Your passport must have a stamp from the Home Office that says:

You can live in the UK
You can do the type of work that you’re applying to do

You can apply for a share code online. When you get it, you can send it to your employer. You can use the share code for 90 days. 

Apply for your share code (gov.uk)

Employer checks

If you’re an employer, you can get advice on employer’s right to work checks (migrationservice.scotland.org) from Scotland's Migration Service for Employers and Investors.

National Insurance Number

What is National Insurance?

National Insurance contributions are automatically taken from your salary. These may qualify you for certain benefits such as a State Pension and Jobseeker's Allowance.

How to apply

Your employer will ask you for your National Insurance (NI) number if you’re starting a job in Scotland.

You can get a NI number if you have the right to work in the  UK and one of the following applies:  

You’re looking for work
You have a job offer to start work
You’ve already started work

You can apply for a National Insurance number (gov.uk)

Timeline

It can take 16 weeks to get your NI number. If you don’t have it yet, you can give your employer an email or letter showing you’ve applied for it.