Senior Civil Service recruitment: candidate guide

Nationality requirements

To qualify for employment at the Scottish Government, candidates need to have the right to live and work in the UK.

Jobs at the Scottish Government are broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) 
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) 
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules and the UK Visas and Immigration rules.

Sponsorship

To qualify for sponsorship through the Skilled Worker Visa scheme, you must meet a list of specific requirements including your job meeting the minimum salary of £38,700 per year.

You can find out more about the Skilled Worker Visa scheme on Gov.uk.

Exclusions

Some Senior Civil Service roles, depending on the nature of the appointment, may be subject to additional nationality requirements. This will be outlined in the description of the role during the application process.