Employment Support

Due to the NRPF condition attached to the BN(O) visa, BN(O) status holders are not entitled to any unemployment benefits upon arrival. However, if you have been in work and have paid National Insurance contributions, you may be eligible for some work-related welfare benefits. This includes contributory-based jobseeker’s allowance, maternity allowance, statutory sickness pay, and statutory maternity pay.

More information on the full list of work-related welfare benefits can be found in this guidance from the NPRF Network.

There are a variety of employment support options available to Hongkongers arriving in Scotland.

• Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is Scotland’s national skills body and provides careers information, advice and guidance, as well as work-based training programmes aimed at building career management skills. You can access the SDS career centre in your Local Authority on their website, which will enable you to make appointments at your nearest centre. Please note that several SDS career centres are operating on a telephone basis only due to Covid-19. 
• Skills Development Scotland (SDS) also has a dedicated portal for graduate apprenticeships and modern apprenticeships, which allow you to search for opportunities by sector and location.
• My World of Work is a web portal that provides career information and advice, along with career management skills and training. It also includes an extensive list of over 19,000 course and volunteering opportunities, and provides information on career coaching and mentoring, writing CVs and cover letters, interview advice, and free webinars. You can also use their web tool to find a Careers Centre in your local area to make an appointment with an advisor

Business Support:

Scotland has a thriving entrepreneurial culture, with plenty of support and funding for new businesses and start-ups. In this section, you’ll find useful resources and information about starting your own business in Scotland.

• Scottish Government has published this useful guide on starting your own business. It also includes information on different business options – like setting up a limited company – and the business support available in Scotland.
• Find Business Support provides an overview of funding and services by public sector organisations across Scotland. You can browse for support options and grants by topic, sector, council, and the type of support you are looking for (i.e. consultancy, funding, research, self-help guides, or training).
• Scottish Enterprise is Scotland’s national economic development agency, which provides useful resources on starting a business or start-up. It includes resources on grants to grow your business and how to access finance and attract investment opportunities.
• Business Gateway is a publicly funded service and resource that provides business support services in Scotland. They have local offices around Scotland which offer local support to business owners, have free guides on starting your own business, offer a DigitalBoost programme which includes 1 to 1 digital consultancy, and have a wide range of free webinars and events on topics such as bookkeeping, finance, business plans, marketing, and more. Business Gateway also offer useful market reports and research on different sectors in Scotland that enable you to familiarise yourself with the Scottish business context.
• The UK Government has produced a guide with everything you need to know about running a limited company.
• Delivering for Scotland offers Government-backed start-up loans for those who want to start or grow a business that is less than 24 months old.
• The Scottish Chamber of Commerce offers everything from networking opportunities, events and resources to business mentoring.

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