Migrant Workers

Although featuring in national headlines in recent times, migrant and seasonal workers are not new to Herefordshire. The county has hosted transient workers for hundreds of years, the main source of work being hop and apple picking. The modern extended growing season and the global increase in migration has led to Herefordshire Council and its partners re-thinking, through their community strategy, how migrant and seasonal workers are welcomed and supported.

The arrival of workers from outside the UK provides significant benefits to the county. Some of these include:

• providing people to fill jobs which could not be filled from within the UK workforce
• helping rural schools, businesses and public transport routes to remain viable
• helping to lower the age profile of the county
• bringing a new cultural diversity and different perspective to the county eg delicatessens

The Herefordshire Council distinguishes non-UK workers in three ways:

1. Seasonal Workers

   Seasonal workers generally come to Herefordshire for a few months in order to carry out mainly agricultural work, such as fruit picking. They are predominantly young students aged 18-34, and come to the UK through the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). Numbers tend to be around 3,000 a year. To be able to apply to come to the United Kingdom under the SAWS you must be a national of either Bulgaria or Romania. Further information on SAWS is available from the Border & Immigration Agency website and HM Revenue & Customs.

2. Migrant Workers

   Migrant workers are those who choose to move to Herefordshire to live and work on a permanent or long-term basis. They are predominantly from other EU countries.

   Nationals from the A8 states who wish to work for more than one month for an employer in the UK, need to register under the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS). Further information on this scheme is available from the Border & Immigration Agency website.

   Home Office Work Permits (UK) data shows that in 2005 there were around 2,500 workers cleared for work in Herefordshire, with the highest proportions from Poland and Lithuania.

   The Commission for Rural Communities published a report in January 2007 called " A8 migrant workers in rural areas" with further relevant information and statistics.

3. Asylum Seekers/Refugees

   The Herefordshire Council currently supports no asylum seekers or refugees.