Right to Work checks – update to providing status share codes

As of 17 February 2022 there are further changes to the way which share codes for Right to Work checks must be generated and used.

International workers with an immigration status (visa or EU settlement status) are able to verify their right to work with their employer using the Home Office digital service. This entails the employee entering their personal details and generating a share code on the Home Office website. The employer then enters the employee’s share code into a Home Office portal and the business can then verify the employee has a legal right to work in the UK. This process is used by employers to ensure full legal statutory protection under the prevention of illegal working guidelines.

Going forward, any share code generated via the Home Office online service will now be valid for 90 days instead of 30.

However, each share code can now only be used for the purpose which it was selected for, as the ‘view and prove’ service now requires users to select one of three options for sharing their immigration status:

• to prove their right to rent in England
• to prove their right to work in the UK
• for another reason.

A user selecting the rent option would not be able to use that same share code to prove their right to work and will need to request a separate share code. 

All share codes now begin with a letter denoting the purpose it can be used for.

• ‘R’ – this will indicate that the share code has been generated by an individual to evidence their right to rent
• ‘W’ – this will indicate that the share code has been generated by an individual to evidence their right to work
• ‘S’ – this will indicate that the share code has been generated for another reason other than rent or work.

The share codes will otherwise continue to work in the same way and employers can continue to use the online service as previously done via the Government link.

These articles are from the February 2022 issue of Employment and Immigration Law Update, our monthly newsletter for HR professionals. To download the latest issue, please visit  the newsletter section of our website. For further information please contact a member of Birketts’ Immigration Team.