Right to Work Guidance: Supplementary Employment, Students

In the 2024 changes to the UK immigration rules, more flexibility was given to workers on a Skilled Worker visa. It is now permissible for sponsored Skilled Workers to take on additional employment, but this must be in line with specific conditions:

• The supplementary job must be listed in Tables 1, 2, or 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.
• It must not exceed 20 hours per week.
• It must take place outside the contracted hours for their sponsored job.

This means a Skilled Worker can take on additional roles if the extra work fits these guidelines. For example, a software developer on a Skilled Worker visa could work part-time as a data scientist, provided it’s listed and doesn’t interfere with their primary role.

The rules are more specific for workers on other sponsored routes, such as the Intra-Company routes (pre-11 April 2022), Senior or Specialist Workers, or T2 Minister of Religion. These workers can only take up supplementary employment if:

• The job is in the same profession and at the same professional level as their main role or listed in the Appendix Immigration Salary List.
• The supplementary job doesn’t exceed 20 hours per week.
• It happens outside the contracted hours for their sponsored employment.

Employers must take steps to confirm that supplementary employment meets these requirements.

The guidance clarifies that employers should request documentation from the worker’s primary sponsor confirming that they are still employed, along with the job description, occupation code, and contracted working hours.

Continuing to employ a worker who breaches these conditions could result in penalties, so be diligent in conducting right-to-work checks.