A question

If I have my work permit in hand, is there any other paperwork I need to fill out to be able to get into England? Any clearance papers?

I'm not completely sure, but I think that Bret's Work Permit was[/u] his entry clearance.  Cole & I had to fill out paperwork (Dependant of Work Permit Holders) and send it, plus our passports, extra photos, $$$, birth certs., marriage cert., etc. to the British Consulate (NYC).  We received our passports back with our Entry Clearance stamps inside.  

Bret didn't get his Entry Clearance stamp in his passport until he entered the UK upon our arrival.  They asked to see his Work Permit, then stamped both that and his passport with his Entry Clearance.  

Bret's company hired an Immigration lawyer to help us with all the paperwork, etc.  It really helped a lot!  Perhaps your company would be willing to do that?  Bret had negotiated that as part of the relocation package.

Maybe someone who is an actual Work Permit holder has better info.  I know Bret had to fill out a bunch of paperwork and send it, along a bunch of other stuff like HS and University diplomas, CV, I think his birth certificate and some other stuff I can't recall, to the Immigration lawyer for them to use while applying for his Work Permit.  It seemed like quite a lot of stuff.  We (Cole & I) couldn't apply for our Entry Clearance until Bret had his Work Permit, but it only took us a few days to get our passports back with the Entry Clearance stamps.  Not sure if you have any dependents, so that might not matter to you.

Good luck!
Stephanie

I saw one resource that said since I am an American the work permit would be good by itself with my passport to get in. Can anyone back this up?

I found this site about UK Work Permits.

http://www.workpermit.co.uk/uk/uk.htm

I spent some time looking around and found lots of info that I think will apply to your situation, PortiaMiller.  There are sections that clarify if you would be eligible for a UK Work Permit, in addition to lots of other good info.

Here is a quote form the section about qualifying for a UK Work Permit:

"Am I eligible to get a UK work permit?
To hold a UK work permit, you will generally need to have high level skills and experience. To get a ‘full’ work permit you will need either:

a UK degree equivalent qualification
OR

3 years senior level experience in a relevant, specialised area
OR

an HND level occupation which entitles him to do a specific job
OR

a general HND level qualification and 1 year relevant experience
OR

3 years relevant experience at NVQ level 3 or above"

I believe that the 'full' Work Permit refers to a 5-year Work Permit.  That's the kind that Bret and our other US friend in London have.  There seem to be other kinds of Work Permits too.

Check it out!

HTH,
Stephanie

PortiaMiller, were you the member who was wanting to work in the UK on a freelance basis?  If so, I found this on the Work Permit website I posted above.

"Q: Can I get a work permit to be a freelance contractor?
A: No. A work permit application must be made by a UK employer, so you can not be ‘freelance’. If you want to be a contractor, the nearest thing possible is to be employed by a service company such as a software house which would pay you a profit share as well as your base salary. For details of one option see www.sybersolve.com"

Looks like they make it hard for freelance workers to get a Work Permit.

Stephanie

Sorry, PortiaMiller, I just realized that you are not a freelance worker, you work with Domestic Violence.  I was thinking of another member's situation.

Stephanie

I saw one resource that said since I am an American the work permit would be good by itself with my passport to get in. Can anyone back this up?

:

Found this:

"If you are not a ‘visa national’ you can simply fly into the UK clutching your Work Permit, and your passport (which should be valid for at least six months from the date of entry). On presenting these documents to the immigration officer at the port of entry, you should be granted entry for the duration of the work permit."

US citizens are not 'visa nationals'.  So, yes, you can enter the UK with your Work Permit (original) and passport.

Man, I wish I had found that website before we moved!  It would have answered a lot of questions.  Maybe it was among the UK-Y links and I just didn't find it.

Stephanie

Thank you, just found the same thing on another site. You guys are fantastic. Thank you for all your hard work