Nationality checking

As a result of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, we are now required to ensure that any new employee provides evidence of eligibility to work within the United Kingdom. This will be required prior to an appointment being made.

There are a number of specified documents that you could provide, some of which are listed below. Only one will be required.

• A document issued by a previous employer, the Inland Revenue, the Benefits Agency, The Contributions Agency, or the Employment Service (or their Northern Ireland equivalents) which states the National Insurance number of the named person.

• A passport describing the holder as British Citizen or as having the right to abode in, or an entitlement to re-admission, to the United Kingdom.

• A passport containing a Certificate of Entitlement issued by, or on behalf of, the Government of the United Kingdom, certifying that the holder has the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

• A certificate of Registration or Naturalisation as a British Citizen.

• A Birth Certificate issued in the United Kingdom or in the Republic of Ireland.

• A passport or identity card issued by a State which is party to the European Economic Area Agreement and which describes the holder as a national of the State. In the interest of equality and fairness this documentation requires to be provided by ALL prospective employees regardless of race, colour or ethnic origin. It does not form part of the selection process but is a final check to ensure that the Council has acted within the law in making an appointment to a successful applicant.

Applications
Any person making application for UK Citizenship will need to provide evidence that they not only speak the English language but also that they can demonstrate knowledge of life in the United Kingdom. This evidence can be obtained in one of two ways dependent on the standard of the applicant's English.

Applicants with a reasonable knowledge of English
Applicants with a reasonable knowledge of English will be able to take a short new computerised test at one of 90 Life in the UK Test centres. This will be a little like taking a theory test. The questions will be based on the information contained in chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship which is available from bookshops and The Stationery Office for £9.99 or online at 

www.tsoshop.co.uk

Successful completion of the test will satisfy the language requirement as well as the knowledge of life requirement.

Applicants whose English is not so good
Alternatively, applicants whose English is not so good will need to complete new English for Speakers of other languages English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) with citizenship classes, which are language courses that include learning information about life in the UK.