The A8 countries were eight of the ten countries that joined the European Union in 2004, namely:
Czech Republic
Estonia
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia
Note: In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania became members of the European Union but did not become subject to WRS regulations. Bulgarians and Romanians still needed a work permit in order to work legally in the UK until 2014 when the maximum extent of this temporary measures allowed by their Treaty of Accession to the EU was reached.
Registration and benefits
Workers from the above countries were required to register on the WRS scheme within a month of joining a new employer. However, there were no incentives to do this: registration took time and money, immigrants were able to work without it, and no immigrant has ever been prosecuted for not having registered on the scheme. Consequently, immigration data from the WRS was indicative at best. By registering, immigrants were able to claim some basic benefits, such as Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Tax Credits. However, the worker must have been employed to be able to claim these benefits. If the worker was able to prove that they had worked legally for at least a 12-month period then they gained the ability to claim social security benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance.
Exemption
Workers that were exempt from registering on the scheme included:
those who were working legally in the UK on 30 April 2004 and continued in their employment
those who were in continuous employment for a period of at least 12 months falling partly or wholly on or after 30 April 2004
those who had left to enter on the SAWS scheme before 1 May 2004 and had started working in the UK under the SAWS scheme on or after 1 May 2004
those who were providing services in the UK on behalf of an employer who is not established in the UK.
Abolition
On 30 April 2011 the worker registration scheme was abolished. By the time the A8 countries had been in the EU for over seven years and the maximum extent of the temporary measures, which were allowed by the Treaty of Accession to the EU, had been reached and therefore since then their nationals enjoy the same rights as those of the older member states. While registration was no longer possible from 1 May 2011, because the scheme only required people to register if they were working for longer than one month, this meant that anyone starting work after 1 April 2011 no longer required to register.
Recent Judgement
Extension of Workers Registration Scheme between 2009 - 2011 was unlawful - Upper Tribunal Judgement
