To think the Job Centre should have told me this months ago

[alfiethekittycat]

Been on Jsa almost 9 months now, Lone parent and was on Income Support before that,
Applied for loads of jobs but rarely even got a thanks but no thanks, constant hassle from the Job Centre to find work, Havn't worked since I had my first child 18 years ago as been home with my kids so mainly applied for shop work as not qualified for anything else.
Anyway I was invited for an interview in a well known bakers, had interview yesterday, Seemed to go really well, they needed to see my birth cert or my passport and be given photocopies, My passport is 2 years out of date {didnt bother renewing it as cant afford to go abroad anymore},So took both just in case.
My birth Cert is the original but not the full one with parents name's and occupation etc.
Was intervied by the area manager who was happy with it all, she even rang me a few hours later so I could check bus times to find out the earliest I could get there in the mornings,
Well anyway, had call from their personell today to tell me my id wasn't sufficient, she is waiting to hear back from head office to see if they can accept it,
She said only a full Birth Cert or valid passport was acceptable now under new rules,
I just think the Job Centre should have told me this when I first signed on, I would have tried to sort out better id then and not be in the situation now when I may miss out on getting work cos I wasnt aware of this,

I think HR are being over-cautious. They have to be certain that you have the right to work in this country, but that level of documentation seems extreme. Last time I applied for a job, I just had to tick a box to say I have that right, but that was some time ago and immigration rules may have tightened.

I know its not really the point, but it is only £7 for a full birth cert and if you ring up where you were registered they tend to snd them out really quickly.

When you signed on I take it your passport was valid, the DWP are probably not aware of the ID requirements of every employer they advertise for so YABU on that point.

You can get a copy of your birth certificate including parental information from your registry office, or alternatively would they accept photographic driving licence instead (if you have one)?

They are only trying to cover their backs against illegal workers I'm afraid which I'm sure you appreciate. Good luck

My passport wasn't valid when I went on Jsa, I was previously on Income support and they just changed it over at the Job Centre,
Ive looked into it on here and am aware that I can get a full Birth Cert online but will need to wait till my sis and mum get back from holidays so either one can pay over the internet as I cannot do that with my bank card and then I will give them the money,
I live nowhere near where I was born so do you know if my local registry office could sort this and if I could pay the cash to them?
I do not have a driving licence.
I'm just not sure if the Company ive applied for a job with would be willing to wait till i can sort this,
I've tried so hard for months to even get an interview, just very dissheartning that I may lose out on this when im sure the Jc could have mentioned this to me knowing i'd been out of the workforce for so long.

I doubt they would withdraw an offer of employment because of this, I would say at the very least they would make an offer pending the correct documentation, as long as you keep them informed. Good luck

Our local registry offices only issued those certificates for our area unfortunately, however it may be worth giving yours a ring. Otherwise obtaining an online one sounds the best bet, are they on holiday long? Instead of worrying yourself about it, why not give the area manager a ring as she's the one whom verbally stated that your ID would be sufficient. Or asking the DWP to confirm your ID in writing e.g a letter with your NINO, address, name etc.
I'm sorry you feel so disheartened but don't worry I'm sure it will be sorted out and you will be baking soon!

I will try giving my local registry office a ring and see what they say, My mum and sis are not back till next thursday so over a week.
They needed proof of my NI number so I gave them a copy of a recent letter from the Job centre and showed her the original, That had my name, address ect on it.

Just phoned local office and they cannot help me as they can only supply if born in this district, online is the only way.

alfie - the first thing I would do is call the Bakery HO and tell them you have ordered your full B/C on-line (a little white lie, but not the end of the world!!).

Then ask them when they want you to start

Also, do you not have a friend who would do it for you or a local CAB/solicitor etc

This isn't the responsibility of the JC. Different places have different rules, so they can't be expected to know about every business in the country. Have you worked at all during the last 18 years (like when your children were teenagers)? Just wondering why you expect the JC to know this tbh.

Btw, some registry offices will post the BCs out if you send them a cheque, depends how quickly you need/want it.

Should've been a bit clearer upon re-reading lol. What I meant was that if you phone the district you were born in rather than the one you live in, some will post them out for the fee and postage costs. Others will make you attend their office in person if you want to get it from them and not online. Might be worth asking someone who still lives in your birth district to pick one up for you, if there is someone? Otherwise ordering online will cost nearly £30 for a priority service, I think the £7 can take a month.

All employers need to check the eligibility of employees to work in the UK. Since February 2008 there are specific types of evidence they have to see, so the same issue will come up with every employer. You need to show:

List 1
Any one of the documents listed below will provide the necessary evidence of the right to work in the UK. The document provided must be the original.

A passport showing that the holder is a British citizen, or has the right of abode in the United Kingdom.
A document showing that the holder is a national of a European Economic Area country* or Switzerland. This must be a national passport or national identity card.
A residence permit issued by the United Kingdom to a national from the European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
A passport or other document issued by the Home Office which has an endorsement stating that the holder has a current right of residence in the United Kingdom as the family member of a national from a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay.
A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay in the United Kingdom; and that this endorsement allows the holder to do the type of work the employer is offering if they do not have a work permit.
An Application Registration Card issued by the Home Office to an asylum seeker stating that the holder is permitted to take employment.

*The following countries are part of the EEA:
Austria; Belgium; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Iceland; Ireland; Italy;

Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; United Kingdom; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Estonia; Hungary; Latvia; Lithuania; Malta; Poland; Slovakia; Slovenia; Bulgaria and Romania.

Notes:
There is a registration scheme for nationals of Poland; Latvia; Lithuania; the Czech Republic; Slovakia; Slovenia, Hungary and Estonia.
Nationals from Bulgaria and Romania require work authorisation documents and are restricted in the jobs they can do.

List 2
Two of the documents in the combinations listed below will provide evidence of the right to work in the UK. The documents provided must be the originals.

First Combination
A document giving a person?s permanent National Insurance number and name. This could be a: P45, P60, National Insurance card, or a letter from a Government agency

AND one of the following documents

A full birth certificate issued in the United Kingdom, which includes the names of the holder?s parents or
A birth certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland or
A certificate of registration or naturalisation stating that the holder is a British citizen or
A letter issued by the Home Office which indicates that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom or has no time limit on their stay or
An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom or has no time limit on their stay or
A letter issued by the Home Office which indicates that the person named in it can stay in the United Kingdom; and this allows them to do the type of work that the employer is offering or
An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay in the United Kingdom; and this allows them to do the type of work that the employer is offering.

Second combination
A work permit or other approval to take employment that has been issued by Work Permits UK

AND one of the following documents

A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is able to stay in the United Kingdom and can take the work permit employment in question or
A letter issued by the Home Office confirming that the person named in it is able to stay in the United Kingdom and can take the work permit employment in question.

No Lucy I havn't worked at all in the last 18 years, My children are teenagers now, I was on income support for a long time and switched to Jsa last November,
I am not saying that it is the responsibility of the Jc to have imformed me but they do have my history on the computer right in front of them and as they are so keen to get me back to work even though jobs are few and far between and I am very eager to get back to work it just seems that now I may have that chance a few words from them about the changes in the last few years would have helped me an awful lot,
If I was aware there were any changes I would have asked them about it,
I have no contact with anyone from my birth district so just gonna wait and see what happens in next few days and as soon as mum and sis return sort it out online,
There are no guarantees I will be offered this job anyway so gonna try not to stress about it anymore, What will be will be.

It's usually £9.50 for a certificate now..the price went up in April. I agree that if you ring the registration district you were born in you may very well get the certificate more quickly.

I don't think it was the JC's responsibility to tell you TBH.

Sadly, one price we're all going to pay for the Labour government's obsession with ID Cards and phase two biometric passports, now mercifully consigned to the dustbin of history, is the immense increase in the price of a passport. In 1997 a ten-year passport cost £18. Had the price followed inflation, it would now cost £25. They now cost £77.50. All that extra cost is to fund things that now aren't going to happen (identity register, biometric passports) or that are worthless (the interviews for first-time adult applicants have unearthed 8 fraudulent applications, at a cost of several million pounds each). Couple that with absurd legislation on the responsibility of employers to track the employment status of every member of staff and there is for practical purposes a £7/year tax on everyone who wants a job to maintain a valid passport.

I get what you're saying, and well done for possibly gettting this job (if they're asking for ID from you, I'd say you're very likely to get it ). I also understand why you're annoyed that you didn't know about the changes, but still....like I said, every business has different rules and the JC wouldn't know what each one is going to ask for. Could someone at some point have advised you about getting a long BC? Yes. But this wouldn't necessarily be the JC, could've been your mum or sister tbh.

Anyways, best of luck, fingers crossed for you!

Thankyou for all that information pumper
I was born in Londen in the same hospital as my parents, lived there for 29 years, had 2 kids in the same hospital I was born in then moved away,

I wasn't aware of the changes as at that time wasn't in a position to be looking for work but am now so these changes do affect me.

I will make sure I have all the relevent Id in the future.

I did work for 10 years before I had my first child, so its not like I have never worked before but things do change and I guess being at home to bring my kids up I didnt take much notice of changes going on to do with work.

Blimey, If I had to do it now, I wouldn't be able to prove I was eligible to work here without sending off for my full birth cert.

My passport is out-of-date - since I rarely travel abroad I would only renew it if I was going to use it.

If I was on income support or JSA, then spending £77.50 to keep my passport up to date really wouldn't have been top of my list of priorities.

Interestingly, out-of-date passports can be used for things like applying for security clearance, so long as the photograph is recognisable. It's a shame the same thing isn't true for employment status.

If its now the rules that ALL employers have to ask for that much ID, then yes, it would be a good idea for the Job Centre to mention it.

Just a thought....have you asked them if they will accept a handwritten letter and signed passport photo from someone of standing in the community? I previously worked in local government and they accepted this along with my full BC as ID before I started, so I'm wondering if they would accept your short BC, expired passport and letter from someone? Might be worth a shot rather than paying out money for a BC while you're not working?

pumperspumpkin - I can tell you from personal experience, there are ways around that list that some employers will go. So yeah, miso, it could be helpful for the JC to mention it, but as the OP realises, it's not a responsibility of theirs. Maybe worth dropping them a line about it, if you think it would help other people though.

Thankyou miso It never even even crossed my mind that I wouldn't be able to prove I was eligible to work here,

I only recently opened a bank accout {although just a basic one} but they were perfectly happy with my birth cert and my post office card that my Jsa goes into,

All im trying to say on here is if only one person at the Jc and ive seen many had mentioned when hounding me about what id applied for that id need this and that id when applying for certain jobs I wouldnt be stressing now,

And as for my mum or sis telling me Lucy maybe they were unnaware too as my mum is a pensioner and my sis has been in the same job for the last 15 years.

TBH I don't see why they wont accept the out of date passport, it's still a passport with proof of identity etc, it doesn't say it must be a current one in the bit that pumperspumpkin posted?!