Employment Permits

Employment Permits are awarded based on specific skilled roles. Permits provide residency in Guernsey's Local Market.

Guernsey has a two-tier property market, the Local Market and the Open Market. Generally speaking, the Local Market is reserved for individuals with familial connection to the island or those that have been granted Employment Permits to live and work in Guernsey.

Employment Permits are granted to people who have been invited to live in Guernsey because of their employment skills, or because Guernsey doesn't have enough people to undertake all the jobs that need filling. Employment Permits can only be applied for by an employer, on behalf of an employee.

Employment Permit holders are eligible to live in Guernsey's Local Housing Market, but only Medium* and Long Term Employment Permit holders can be a householder and accommodate their immediate family.

An Employment Permit confirms the holder’s ability to live and work lawfully in Guernsey. Guernsey employers make applications for Employment Permits via the Population Management Office. Eligible posts are detailed in the Employment Permit Policy.

Guernsey Employment Permit Policy

There are currently three types of Employment Permits; Short, Medium and Long.

Holders of Medium* or Long Term Employment Permits can be a householder in either an Open or Local Market property and accommodate their immediate family. A Medium Term Employment Permit is limited to a maximum of five years. A Long Term Employment Permit which expires after eight consecutive years is the only Employment Permit that can provide the holder with an expectation of remaining in Local Market accommodation thereafter.

Immediate Family - Population Management

* Changes are currently being made to the Population Management Law which would see the removal of Medium Term Permits, with these roles instead being issued a Short Term or a Long Term Permit. These changes will only affect new Permit applications.

If you are relocating to Guernsey to take up employment, it may be that you are eligible for an Employment Permit to therefore reside in the Local Market. To check whether you are eligible for an Employment Permit, you should speak with your Guernsey employer. If your employment does not qualify for an Employment Permit, you will need to live in Guernsey's Open Market, (subject to immigration clearance). Please contact Locate Guernsey to find out more.

Immigration Clearance

The following people do not normally need permission from the Guernsey Border Agency to come to the island as residents:

British citizens or Irish Passport holders
Other nationals who have permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Jersey or the Isle of Man.

Those that do not fall into one of the above categories will need valid immigration clearance in addition to their Employment Permit. If you require a visa to live and work in Guernsey, it's important to speak to your employer to ensure they intend to apply for a visa for you.

Currently, there are different visa rules for EU nationals and Rest of World nationals, although work is currently being undertaken for these rules to be closer aligned. Visas must be granted ahead of relocation to the island.

For EU passport holders, the employer is able to apply for a visa when making the application for Employment Permits through the Population Management office. The duration of the visa would depend on the type of Employment Permit awarded.

Find out more

For nationals outside of the EU, a separate Work Permit application must be made. An application for a Work Permit can only be made by the employer. Permits are issued by the Guernsey Border Agency. More information can be found here:

Guernsey Border Agency

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