The UK is still a very attractive employment destination for thousands of EU citizens that seek to work and live in the nation. Many of the jobs they apply for need them to get a criminal record check before they can be eligible for the position. The background criminal checks are carried out by the DBS service for all those individuals that seek employment in businesses and companies across the country.
Here we examine DBS checks for non-UK nationals that are now staying in the country and are working or intend to apply for positions in UK companies.
DBS Checks required
Any individual that has lived in the EU earlier and needs to get a DBS check done for work in the UK will not find it a hassle. The qualifying criteria for any DBS for any position in the UK are subject to the job and not where an individual has lived earlier. Neither will the travel history of the person have any impact on the DBS check.
The same guidelines will apply to a DBS check that is applied on behalf of somebody else. Any job that has the employee coming in contact with a regulated activity involving vulnerable adults or children legally requires a criminal record check to be done. This is carried out to ensure the prospective employee is not barred from working with these specific groups.
DBS Checks for those who have lived overseas
The disclosure and barring service can only be reviewed when a request for doing so is specifically made. For those that have earlier stayed in a foreign nation, gaining access to their detailed criminal record can be quite a challenge. When there is a need to check non-UK citizens’ overseas police records, the concerned authorities in that nation need to be communicated with to gain access to the records of the individual. In cases where an applicant has lived in multiple nations, criminal records from all of these nations will need to be called for.
Likewise, where an Enhanced DBS Check is required for any individual that has lived in more than a single country, all the details of the check will be needed individually from each nation.
Price of DBS Checks
Generally, for DBS checks that need to be done overseas, the cost is borne by the organisation or company that has requested the checks. Its price will be subject to:
The country where the applicant has lived previously
If the certificate needs to be translated to be valid for use in the UK
In most situations, all the expense for this is undertaken by the employer for overseas checks that are done. If in any arrangement the employer will not bear the expenses, these need to be clarified with the applicant before the request for the checks is made.
Identity Verification
Applicants that are UK residents need to provide documents for identity verification, similarly, those applicants that have lived abroad and want employment in the UK will need to undergo identity checks as part of the hiring process. This means that they will have to provide original and valid documents for verification. These documents can either be sent via Royal Mail or they can visit any of the offices and deposit them in person. Documentation verification by an employer is also possible through video calling.
Those applying on behalf of an applicant for Enhanced or Standard checks, will have to furnish documents of their identity from the earlier country/countries they have worked and lived.
In the interim period of the checks can an applicant start work
This would depend on the employment needs of the business or company and if the management is in agreement that the applicant can take up the position in the interim period while the checks are carried out and the certificate arrives via post.
Although, there are some positions in certain sectors with stringent measures that need for the applicant to be issued a clear certificate before they can take up the position. In such cases, the employer could engage them in other tasks while the certification is completed.
