How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?
An out-of-policy application seeks an actual Short Term, Seasonal or Long Term Employment Permit; approval remains individual and is not guaranteed. A Short Term permit can be issued for up to 12 months at a time and renewed up to aggregate three-year residence since first arrival or the last recognised break. For people subject to immigration control, previous residence in the British CTA also counts. It cannot extend past that ceiling without an LTEP; returning on a STEP after the three-year limit requires a recognised break at least as long as the previous residence period, and unrecognised breaks between STEPs/SEPs count in the aggregate. A Seasonal permit is up to nine months followed by a three-month break and this pattern may recur indefinitely; relevant previous British CTA residence counts, and the break must be outside the British CTA for those requiring immigration permission. Continuing beyond nine months requires a Short or Long Term permit. For an LTEP holder who needs immigration permission, the initial visa is three years and further immigration permission must be applied for before visa expiry. The Employment Permit can outlast the immigration visa, so valid immigration permission must be maintained separately. Five continuous years of legitimate residence may support an application for indefinite leave; the policy does not guarantee it. Its separate reference to Established Resident status concerns eight consecutive years of Local Market residence under Population Management law, with further immigration permission still required where applicable.
See recorded sources
- https://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=166241&p=0
Long Term Employment Permit (LTEP)
Job roles where a skill and/or significant and continuous labour shortages have been
identified in the UK and Bailiwick of Guernsey may be eligible for a Long Term
Employment Permit. Long Term Employment Permit job roles listed in the ‘Employment
Permit Policy – Approved Posts’ are marked as LTEP.
•
•
Click here (gov.gg/epp) to access the PDF version of the Employment Permit Policy
– Approved Posts.
Click here (populationportal.gov.gg/policies) to access the interactive version of the
Employment Permit Policy – Approved Posts.
Only job roles listed as an LTEP can benefit from a Long Term Employment Permit. If a
person requires immigration permission, the visa will be granted for the initial 3-year
period. Additional immigration permissions to remain beyond the initial 3-year visa must
be applied for before the expiry date of the visa.
A person needs to meet the criteria listed for the job role in the Employment Permit Policy
– Approved Posts. If they don’t, a person may be issued with ‘Pathway’ or ‘Limited’ LTEP
(island of Guernsey only).
Applications for employment in Alderney and Sark will be issued with a separate Work
Permit from the Immigration & Nationality Division. (Reference EPP3a)
What else do I need to know if my employee requires immigration clearance?
It is the responsibility of the employer and the Permit holder to ensure that the relevant
and valid immigration permissions are held for the full duration of an Employment
Permit.
The job role must be at or above the minimum skills level: RQF 3 or equivalent (A level or
equivalent qualification).
A person needs to meet the criteria under the English Language Requirement section.
If Population Management issue an LTEP up to the date a person stands to become an
Established Resident (8 consecutive years of Local Market residence) under the
Population Management Law, further immigration permissions could be granted (upon
application for Further Leave to Remain).
If a person (visa holder), completes a legitimate period of 5 years continuous residence,
they may be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
(Reference EPP3b)
Additional requirements:
A person needs to complete a security disclosure process (DBS vetting) of a standard
relevant to the post. They also need to ensure they meet the Criminal Convictions section
of this document.
(Reference EPP3c)
Policy Reference C-EPP-1
Version 3 (Published 5 August 2026)
As an employee you are:
•
•
•
•
•
Conditional on working full-time in a named job role for a named employer.
Building time towards Indefinite Leave to Remain (Settlement) and Established
Residency (island of Guernsey only) (Population Management).
Able to live in any Local or Open Market property as a householder (island of
Guernsey only).
Able to accommodate dependant family members.
Able to take on part-time employment in addition to the full-time employment
listed on your Permit.
Short Term Employment Permit – (STEP)
Job roles where skills and/or significant and continuous labour shortages have been
identified in Guernsey may be eligible for a Short Term Employment Permit. Short Term
Employment Permit job roles are listed within the ‘Employment Permit Policy – Approved
post’ marked as STEP.
•
•
Click here (gov.gg/epp) to access the PDF version of the Employment Permit
Policy.
Click here (populationportal.gov.gg/policies) to access the interactive version of the
Employment Permit Policy.
A person needs to meet the criteria listed for the job role in the Employment Permit Policy
– Approved Posts. If they don’t, they should not expect to be granted a STEP. In addition,
any LTEP job role listed can also benefit from a Short Term Employment Permit*.
*May be issued as a Discretionary Resident Permit – Short Term Employment.
A Short Term Employment Permit can be issued for up to 12 months at a time, renewable
upon expiry, until a person reaches an aggregate of 3 years of residence in Guernsey†
(since their first arrival or last recognised break in residence, whichever is later).
Applications for employment in Alderney and Sark will be issued with a separate Work
Permit from the Immigration & Nationality Division.
(Reference EPP4a)
To find out more information on the 6-month visa exemption, click here.
What else do I need to know if my employee requires immigration clearance?
†For those subject to Immigration control this will include any previous British CTAi
residence (since a person’s first arrival or last recognised break in residence,
whichever is later) as this is counted towards the employee’s 3-year limit.
It is the responsibility of the employer and the Permit holder to ensure that the relevant
and valid immigration permissions are held for the full duration of an Employment
Permit.
A person needs to meet the criteria under the English Language Requirement section.
Policy Reference C-EPP-1
Version 3 (Published 5 August 2026)
(Reference EPP4b)
Additional requirements:
A person needs to complete a security disclosure process (DBS vetting) of a standard
relevant to the post. They also need to ensure they meet the Criminal Convictions section
of this document.
(Reference EPP4c)
As an employee you are:
•
•
•
Conditional on working full-time in a named job role for a named employer.
Able to take on part-time employment in addition to the full-time employment
listed on your Permit.
Able to live in any Local or Open Market property on a ‘lodgings’ basis (island of
Guernsey only).
As an employee you can’t:
•
•
•
Extend employment permission beyond the maximum 3-year limit unless they
obtain an LTEP.
Accommodate anyone.
Return to the Bailiwick holding a STEP after the 3-year limit unless they have
undertaken a recognised break in residence from Guernsey (and the British CTAi
if immigration permissions held)**
**A Recognised break in residence is defined as equal to or greater than a person’s last
period of residence. Any breaks in residence that are not recognised between STEPs and
SEPs are counted as part of a person’s aggregate residence.
Seasonal Employment Permit – (SEP)
Job roles where a skill and/or significant and continuous labour shortages have been
identified in Guernsey may be eligible for a Seasonal Employment Permit. Seasonal
Employment Permit job roles are listed within the ‘Employment Permit Policy- Approved
posts’, marked as SEP.
•
•
Click here (gov.gg/epp) to access the PDF version of the Employment Permit
Policy.
Click here (populationportal.gov.gg/policies) to access the interactive version of the
Employment Permit Policy.
A person needs to meet the criteria listed for the job role in the Employment Permit Policy
– Approved Posts. If they don’t, they should not expect to be granted a SEP. In addition,
any LTEP job role listed can also benefit from a Seasonal Employment Permit*.
Policy Reference C-EPP-1
Version 3 (Published 5 August 2026)
Applications for employment in Alderney or Sark will be issued with a separate Work
Permit from the Immigration & Nationality Division.
*May be issued as a Discretionary Resident Permit – Seasonal Employment.
A Seasonal Employment Permit can be issued for up to 9 months, before having to take
a 3-month break away from Guernsey†. This working pattern can be undertaken
indefinitely.
(Reference EPP5a)
What else do I need to know if my employee requires immigration clearance?
†Any previous British CTAi residence (since a person’s first arrival or last recognised
break in residence, whichever is later) is counted towards the 9-month limit. The 3month break must be outside of the British CTAi.
It is the responsibility of the employer and the Permit holder to ensure that the relevant
and valid immigration permissions are held for the full duration of an Employment
Permit.
A person needs to meet the criteria under the English Language Requirement section.
(Reference EPP5b)
Additional requirements:
A person needs to complete a security disclosure process (DBS vetting) of a standard
relevant to the post. They also need to ensure they meet the Criminal Convictions
section.
(Reference EPP5c)
As an employee you are:
•
•
•
Conditional on working full-time in a named job role for a named employer.
Able to take on part-time employment in addition to the full-time employment
listed on your Permit.
Live in any Local or Open Market property on a ‘lodgings’ basis (island of
Guernsey only).
As an employee you can’t:
•
•
•
Extend employment permission beyond the 9-month limit unless they obtain a
Short or Long Term Employment Permit.
Accommodate anyone.
Return to the Bailiwick after last holding a SEP before completing a 3-month
break away from Guernsey (and the wider British CTAi if immigration
permissions held).
Policy Reference C-EPP-1
Version 3 (Published 5 August 2026)
- https://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=166241&p=0
What happens if a job role I need is not listed in the Employment Permit Policy?
If a job role is not listed on the Employment Permit Policy – Approved Posts but is featured
on the UK Skilled Occupations List (“the UK List”) an Employment Permit could still be
considered.
An application would need to be made for an ‘out of policy’ Short, Seasonal or Long Term
Employment Permit. This type of application requires additional information and
supporting material which can include key elements of the role and how this aligns to
your business plan, succession planning, recruitment efforts, etc. The application is then
reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the senior management and a decision is made
based on the information provided within the application in conjunction with any
Committee and States Policies available at the time.
As with all ‘out of policy’ applications there is not a guarantee that a Permit will be
granted until the full application is reviewed.
To find out more about ‘out of policy’ Employment Permit applications, please click here.
If a role is not featured on the UK List, you should contact the Population Management
Office by email or telephone +44(0)1481 225790 for further guidance and advice.
(Reference EPP8)
- https://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=166241&p=0
Validity of Employment Permit for people who require immigration permissions
The Work Permit permissions are issued through the Population Management
Employment Permit. This means that the Employment Permit may be issued beyond a
person’s immigration permission-visa, (in the case of the 6-month visa exemption, a
Work Permit) in line with a person’s eligibility under the Population Management
(Guernsey) Law, 2016.
It is both the responsibility of the employer and employee to ensure that valid
immigration permissions are held throughout the duration of an Employment Permit
which may require additional application for further immigration permission to be
submitted.
(Reference EPP10)
