Definition
Right to work
Also called work authorisation
A person’s legal entitlement to be employed in a particular country, which an employer is generally required to verify before employment begins.
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In practice
It is a legal fact about a named individual, which is why it belongs after identity is known rather than at screening. Asking about immigration status early is unnecessary for the check and, in several jurisdictions, creates discrimination exposure.
The distinction worth holding is between "are you authorised to work here" and "what is your nationality". The first is the requirement; the second is a different question that employers sometimes ask instead, usually without meaning to.
Related
Staged reveal
Releasing a candidate’s identity to an employer at a defined point in the process, with the candidate’s consent, scoped to that employer alone.
Identity broker
A third party that holds a candidate’s identifying information and releases it to an employer only on the candidate’s explicit instruction.
Emiratisation
The UAE policy requiring private-sector firms to employ a set proportion of UAE nationals in skilled roles, with contributions payable for unmet posts.
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Longer pieces on this and the arguments around it.
GDPR and candidate data: what recruiting teams get wrong
Consent is usually the wrong lawful basis for recruitment. What to rely on instead, how long to keep applications, and the rules on automated decisions.
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