Source: http://england.shelter.org.uk/legal/homelessness_applications/eligibility_eeaeu_nationals/persons_eligible_for_assistance/workers
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 04:34:33+00:00

Document:
Definition of the term 'worker' and the circumstances when worker status is retained if the person ceases to work .
A worker has the right to reside in the UK, and is eligible for assistance under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996.
to remain when a period of actual work ends either on retirement or through accident or ill health.
The term 'worker' is not defined in Directive 2004/38/EC (the Citizenship Directive), but the UK Regulations implementing the Citizenship Directive define the term as 'a worker within the meaning of Article 45' of TFEU.
provided the work is genuine and effective, the motives of the person employed are irrelevant - a person can be classified as a worker even if her/his subjective intention was to create a situation where s/he is classified as a worker for another purpose, for example homelessness assistance.
Is the work genuine and effective?
Case law has established that a worker is someone whose work is 'genuine and effective', as opposed to 'marginal and ancillary'.
If a person depends on means-tested benefits this does not prevent her/his work from being genuine and effective.
A worker may be someone whose work is part time, or whose pay is below subsistence level, and work for a short period of time or for only a few hours a week can create worker status; this should include people on 'zero-hour' or 'on-call' contracts.
It is for the Member State to determine whether the work is on such a small scale or on such an irregular or occasional basis that it may be treated as marginal or ancillary, but any such decision must be informed by the principles set out in European Court of Justice (CJEU) case law.
A person who has been employed in the UK must continue to be treated as a worker, and continue to benefit from the worker's right to reside, in all the following situations.
A worker will retain her/his worker status if s/he becomes temporarily unable to work because of an illness or accident.
It has been held that 'temporarily unable to work' means that the inability to work must not be permanent. Permanent incapacity can mean unlikely to be able to work in the foreseeable future. In one case, the Upper Tribunal stressed that it is the inability to work that must be considered, not whether the illness is temporary or permanent.
Whether a person is unable to work because of illness or accident is a factual question. The Upper Tribunal has held that a worker's failure to claim employment support allowance (ESA) immediately after leaving his work did not of itself support a conclusion that he had left his employment voluntarily and had therefore lost his worker status. There is no requirement for a person to claim some form of incapacity benefit in order to show that s/he is temporarily unable to work because of illness or accident. However, such a claim may provide evidence of inability to work.
A woman unable to work temporarily due to illness during pregnancy will retain worker status.
A woman who ceases employment as a result of the physical constraints of pregnancy and the aftermath of childbirth retains her worker status provided she resumes working within a 'reasonable period' of giving birth. This is known as the 'St Prix' judgement. What constitutes a reasonable period depends on the facts of each case, but it must take account of national laws on maternity leave and other health and safety provisions.
The Upper Tribunal has held that in most cases the UK's statutory 52-week period of maternity leave is the yardstick for considering whether an EEA national in this situation returned to work within a 'reasonable period'. The Tribunal also confirmed that a return to jobseeking is sufficient to protect a woman relying on retaining her worker status as a result of pregnancy.
Guidance issued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirms that worker status can usually be retained for 52 weeks - generally 11 weeks before and 41 weeks after giving birth. The question of how long the right to reside as a worker will be retained must be assessed 'prospectively' - ie, if a woman states that she intends to return to work within 41 weeks of childbirth, she can be treated as retaining worker status for that period. If she changes her mind within the period, her 'St Prix' worker status will be lost but the DWP will not seek to recover benefits paid on the basis of her original stated intention.
A woman who is on maternity leave, whether paid or unpaid, from her employment remains a worker throughout and does not need to rely on the provisions governing the retaining of worker status.
A person will retain her/his worker status if, after having been employed in the UK, s/he is duly registered as a jobseeker and has a genuine chance of finding a job.
a change of circumstances, such as relocating or completing training, means that the claimant will secure a job in the immediate future.
if s/he has worked in the UK for less than a year before becoming unemployed, s/he will retain her worker status for a maximum of six months only.
undertaking vocational training which is related to her/his previous employment following a decision to give up work.
A national of an A8 or A2 country or the Republic of Croatia who was subject to worker registration/authorisation can usually only retain worker status if s/he became unable to work or unemployed on or after the date that the requirement to comply with the relevant requirements ended. See the pages A8 nationals, A2 nationals and Croatian nationals for details.
EEA/EU nationals have a right under Art 45 (formerly Art 39) TFEU and Title 1 to EC Regulation 1612/68, as interpreted by the European Court of Justice, to move freely within Member States to seek employment. However, the European Court of Justice has decided that a jobseeker who has never actually worked in the host state does not have the right to the same tax and social advantages provided to EEA nationals who are working, and the Homelessness Regulations 2006 exclude them from eligibility for homelessness or housing assistance. See the page Persons ineligible for assistance for more information on the right to reside as a jobseeker.
Where the child of a worker has started full-time education, the child and her/his primary carer will retain a right of residence even after the worker has ceased to work. For more information see the page on Family of workers and self-employed.
The UK Regulations that set out the right to reside of EEA nationals in the UK specifically exclude British-only citizens (but not dual British/EEA citizens treated as EEA nationals) from the definition of EEA nationals.
prior to acquiring British citizenship, s/he exercised a permanent or extended right to reside in the UK.
Note that for the above to apply, the EEA's original Member State must have joint the EU prior to her/his acquisition of British nationality.
British-only citizens (but not dual British/EEA citizens treated as EEA nationals) are excluded from the categories of EEA nationals who are to be automatically treated as eligible for assistance under the homelessness legislation.
For information on where a British citizen is the dependent child of a non-EEA national, see the section on the 'Zambrano' derivative right to reside on Persons ineligible for assistance. For information on the eligibility of the family members of British nationals who have worked in another EEA Member State, see the page Family of workers and self-employed.
 Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) Regulations 2006 SI 2006/1294, as amended by Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 SI 2006/2007; Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2006 SI 2006/3340.
 Art 45 (formerly Art 39) Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
 reg 4(1)(a) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052; prior to 1 February 2017, reg 4(1)(a) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 SI 2006/1003.
 Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v RR  UKUT 021 (AAC).
 Collins v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Case 138/02  ICR 37.
 Lawrie-Blum v Land Baden-Wuerttemberg Case 66/85  ECR 2121.
 Steymann v Staatssecretaris van Justitie Case 196/87  ECR 6159.
 JR v Leeds CC and another (HB)  UKUT 0154 (AAC).
 JA v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (ESA)  UKUT 122 (AAC).
 Levin v Staatssecretaris van Justitie Case 53/81  ECHR 1035; Ninni-Orasche v Bundesminister für Wissenschaft Verkehr und Kunst Case 413/01  ECR I-0000; Home Secretary v Akrich Case 109/01  ECR I-9607; see also Annex A, HB Circular A3/2014.
 Levin v Staatssecretaris van Justitie Case 53/81  ECR 1035; Kempf v Staatssecretaris van Justitie Case 139/85  ECR 1741; Barry v Southwark LBC  EWCA Civ 1440; SS v Slough BC  UKUT 128 (AAC); see also Annex A, HB Circular A3/2014.
 Levin v Staatssecretaris van Justitie Case 53/81  ECR 1035; Kempf v Staatssecretaris van Justitie Case 139/85  ECR 1741; see also Annex A, HB Circular A3/2014.
 Ninni-Orasche v Bundesminister für Wissenschaft Verkehr und Kunst Case 413/01  ECR I-0000; see also Annex A, HB Circular A3/2014.
 RF v London Borough of Lambeth (HB)  UKUT 52 (AAC); Raulin v Minister van Onderwijs en Wetenschappen Case 375/89  ECR 1-1027.
 reg 6(2)(a) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052.
 SSHD v FB  UKUT 447 (IAC); De Brito and another v Secretary of State for the Home Department  EWCA Civ 709.
 Konodyba v Kensington and Chelsea RLBC  EWCA Civ 982; see also Samin v Westminster CC  EWCA Civ 1468.
 LM v HMRC (CHB)  UKUT 0389 (AAC).
 HK v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions  UKUT 421 (AAC); see also KK v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions  UKUT 417 (AAC).
 St Prix v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Case C-507/12 (CJEU 19 June 2014). After the CJEU decision, the UK Supreme Court, which had referred the case to the CJEU for a preliminary ruling, issued an Order to allow Ms St Prix's appeal.
 SSWP v SFF : ADR v SSWP : CS v Barnet LBC & SSWP  UKUT 0502 (AAC).
 Pt.3 Ch 7 Vol 2 Decision Makers Guide, DWP.
 reg 14 Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052.
 R v Immigration Appeal Tribunal, ex parte Antonissen (Free movement of persons)  EUECJ C-292/89; reg 6(2)(b) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052; see also Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v MB (JSA)  UKUT 372 (AAC); OS v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (JSA)  UKUT (AAC).
 DMG Memo 15/14 (Habitual residence and right to reside - JSA); see also DMG Memo 2/15 (Extending GPOW assessments to stock EEA nationals).
 reg 6(2)(c) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052.
 reg 6(2)(d) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052.
 reg 6(2)(e) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052.
 Levin v Staatssecretaris van Justitie Case 53/81  ECR 1035; Procureur du Roi v Royer Case 48/75  ECR 497; reg 6(1)(b)(i) Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) Regulations 2006 SI 2006/1294.
 reg 16 Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052; Harrow LBC v Ibrahim  ECJ C-310/38; Texeira v Lambeth LBC  ECJ C-480/08.
 see definition of 'EEA national' in reg. 2(1) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 SI 2016/1052, as amended by Immigration (European Economic Area) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 SI 2018/801; DMG Memo 15/18.McCarthy (European citizenship)  EUECJ C-434/09.
 regs 2 and 6 Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) Regulations 2006 SI 2006/1294.

References: Art 45
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