For EFL recruitment staff · January 2027 window
Know if he can be signed before you bid.
The 10-Minute Work Permit Check turns the FA’s 2026/27 GBE rules into five questions you can run on any overseas target. One verdict per player: signable, ESC, long shot, or strike.
Pay in your own currency at checkout. Apple Pay and Google Pay accepted.
The problem
This summer the rules moved under clubs’ feet
In June 2026 the FA closed the ESC route to anyone born before 2003 and reshuffled the league bands. Clubs found out mid-window, often after they’d scouted, negotiated and agreed fees.
Up to 50 targets wiped out at one Championship club by the ESC age limit.
Agreed for a 24-year-old midfielder before the deal died on the eve of the season. He was eligible for neither GBE nor ESC.
Plus VAT for an Exceptions Panel, with no guarantee of a GBE at the end of it.
Sources: Portsmouth News, 6 and 12 August 2026; FA GBE criteria for men’s players 2026/27.
Over-23s lost ESC
Anyone born in 2002 or earlier now needs an auto pass or 15 points. ESC no longer catches them.
The bands moved
Brazil’s Série A went up. Turkey’s Süper Lig came down. Last season’s scores are wrong.
One shot per window
Once a player is refused, you can’t apply for him again that window under any criteria unless his circumstances change.
The method
Five questions. One verdict.
Run the same check on every overseas name, in the same order, with his record open in front of you. Each player ends in one of four verdicts your board can read at a glance.
- Signable: standardAuto pass or 15 points. Keep your ESC places.
- Signable: ESCBorn 2003 or later, elite test met, place free.
- Long shot: panel10 to 14 points with real evidence of why.
- StrikeNo route this window. Re-score for the summer.
From the book
A player who flipped from “no” to “yes”
A 22-year-old Série A full-back on 35% of league minutes, no senior caps, at a club in the Copa Sudamericana. Last season he needed one of your ESC places. Here’s why he doesn’t now.
| Source | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| League minutes | 2 | 4 |
| Last club’s position | 1 | 2 |
| Continental progression | 2 | 2 |
| Current club’s band | 8 | 10 |
| Total (pass mark 15) | 13 | 18 |
Illustrative profile, scored on the FA’s published tables.
What’s inside
Everything you need for January
- 01What changed in June 2026
- 02Work permits in five minutes
- 03The 10-minute check
- 04Your licence and your ESC places
- 05Does he auto pass?
- 06Does he reach 15 points?
- 07Is ESC open to him?
- 08Is the Exceptions Panel worth £5,000?
- 09Where the value moved in 2026/27
- 10Timing a January application
- 11Eight mistakes that kill deals
- 12Three players, three verdicts
Plus the route-check worksheet, every points table on two pages, the full 2026/27 band map and a glossary.
Who it’s for
Written for one person
It’s for you if
- You run or support recruitment at an EFL club, especially in League One or Two.
- You have overseas names on your January list and limited ESC places.
- You scout, analyse or pitch players to EFL clubs and want to stop wasting time on unsignable ones.
It’s not for you if
- You need advice on the visa application itself. That’s for an immigration adviser.
- You recruit for the WSL or Scottish clubs. Their criteria are different.
- You recruit for non-league. Clubs below the EFL can’t use the GBE system.
Get the book
The 10-Minute Work Permit Check
- 34-page PDF, instant download
- The five-question route check
- All six points tables, condensed
- The 2026/27 band map
- Printable route-check worksheet
- Three worked player verdicts
Your local currency at checkout
For comparison, one Exceptions Panel costs £5,000 plus VAT.
Buy nowQuestions
Before you buy
Is this legal or immigration advice?
No. It explains the FA’s published GBE criteria as a recruitment tool, so you know whether the FA is likely to endorse a player before you commit. The visa itself, your sponsor duties and immigration law belong with your club’s immigration adviser.
Is it up to date?
It’s built on the FA’s GBE criteria for men’s players for the 2026/27 season, in force from 15 June 2026 and covering the January 2027 window. The FA reviews the criteria every season, usually before the summer window.
What format is it?
A 34-page A4 PDF. You get the download link straight after checkout. It reads well on a laptop, and the worksheet prints on one page.
Does it cover the WSL or Scotland?
No. It covers the FA’s criteria for men’s players at Premier League and EFL clubs. The women’s game and the Scottish FA use different criteria.
Can my whole department use it?
Each copy is for one person. For a team copy, email info@behindeleven.com.