E-current account provider Unizest has launched a new service to help international candidates open a bank account in the UK and enable recruiters to offer a better start to new overseas workers by arranging payments.
Supported by Mastercard and Railsbank – and recruiters including Response Recruitment, Australasian Recruitment Company and Tri Consulting – Unizest allows workers and students coming to the UK to open an e-current account before they leave their home country and they receive their Debit Mastercard upon arrival.
“On a daily basis, we have overseas workers walking off the street into our office looking for employment,” says John Devine, MD at Response Recruitment. “Many can’t open a traditional UK bank account but obviously need to set up a basic banking service. We can now offer Unizest’s new e-current account. It’s a win-win for recruiters, their clients and candidates,”.
Matt Oldham, co-founder of Neofin Ventures – the company behind Unizest’s launch – says; “Our aim with Unizest is to ensure that all newcomers to the UK, whether that be for work or for study, are given the best start when embarking on their new life here. We want to help smooth the transition by removing one of the biggest hurdles they face – setting up basic banking services. By kick-starting the process of getting an account, before new hires even arrive in the UK, Unizest enables businesses to focus on the many other processes and aspects of recruitment.”
Unizest, which has attained Pending B Corp® status, has become an approved service partner of the Association of Labour Providers (ALP), which promotes responsible recruitment. “We are pleased to welcome Unizest as an ALP service partner and look forward to their e-current account helping to promote good practice,” says David Camp, chief executive of the ALP.
It has also partnered with Just Good Work to provide overseas workers with independent advice and guidance on work and life in the UK – including rights and obligations, recruitment and employment information directly on the app.
“People coming to a new country to work or study are making a big life change,” says Quintin Lake, director of Just Good Work. “By partnering with Unizest, Just Good Work provides practical help and support at every stage in multiple languages. Whether that be understanding how things work here or getting sound advice in avoiding deception or exploitation. We are excited to be supporting Unizest, who share our desire to protect and support people newly arriving in the UK”.
Unizest customers can manage their money through the Unizest app – available to download on iOS and Android. Onboarding includes five steps, linking to the Home Office Share Code to ensure customers have a confirmed right to reside in the UK, making the set up simple for Unizest users.
