Work Permit - Contract Expires 11 Days Before Player is Eligible for Citizenship

[Joey Numbaz]

Brazilian player signed July 11, 2020. His contract expires June 30, 2025.

He'll be eligible for British citizenship July 11, 2025.

He won't get a new work permit with a contract extension, he's stopped playing internationally - his last game for Brazil was December 18, 2022.

If he stays at the club without a contract in July 2025, will those extra 11 days count towards his residency? I'd like to know if that will work ahead of time. If not, I think I am going to have to sell him.

Thanks for any help!

Does the appeal process kick back to the normal appeal points process? So playing regularly for me would count as 1 point, 2-3 points if his wage is in the top 50% of the rest of the team's top 30 players, etc.?

[Joey Numbaz]

He just handed in his transfer request (August 24, 2024). So I guess there really is no way to keep him? I gather the moral of the story is don't sign non-EU players after July 1. Or maybe give them an extension after their first or second year if they are playing internationally at that time.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Joey Numbaz

[JordanMilly]

There would have been zero guarantee that they'd have taken British citizenship anyway - if you've had Brexit and the UK is no longer in the EU, there'd be no benefit for him to take citizenship, as he wouldn't gain access to play to other European countries (unless they'd amended their foreign player rules to still count UK citizens as EU nationals).

[Joey Numbaz]

Thanks!

I have no Brexit in this one, playing FM20.

I think I've had really good success in the past with players taking citizenship, like literally every player in FM19 in my hard Brexit took citizenship once eligible. And that did open spots up for other foreign players in the 17 limit.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Joey Numbaz

[Joey Numbaz]

I actually liked the hard Brexit better than no Brexit. It was much easier being allowed to register up to 17 foreigners each year. But I could sign the cheap foreign youths without having to wait for them to be good enough to qualify for a work permit. Then after 5 years they would become citizens.

I did focus on making sure I had my share of UK players and I would really scout the UK under-18s etc. But there was a lot more flexibility for getting South American youth players in with the hard Brexit.