UK → US · UK → US
Can a UK recruitment agency place workers in the US?
The immigration, payroll, employer, tax and state-registration questions a British agency must answer before a US placement.
The short answer
Yes, but a UK agency cannot simply send a worker to a US client and invoice in dollars. It must establish the worker's right to work, decide which entity or employer employs them, run US-compliant payroll where applicable, register and insure in the placement states, and handle cross-border tax and immigration advice. A US partner can reduce execution risk.
Key facts
- First decision
- Who is the lawful US employer or contracting party
- Before start
- Right-to-work, payroll, insurance and state registrations
- Do not assume
- A UK payroll or visa route transfers to the US
A cross-border placement is three problems at once: finding the person, making the engagement lawful and making the cash cycle work. A UK recruiter can be excellent at the first and still create exposure through the second and third.
Start by separating permanent introductions from employed temporary staffing. A perm search may have a simpler transaction, while employing a US-based worker creates payroll, workers' compensation, state registration and wage obligations from the first day.
Immigration advice is role and person specific. A UK passport does not itself authorise US work, and a client invitation is not a work permit. Use qualified US immigration counsel rather than allowing a recruiter or client to improvise the answer.
Choose the operating structure and document it. A US subsidiary, employer-of-record or local staffing partner each changes margin, control, client contract and responsibility for the worker. Outsourcing administration does not mean ignoring who is legally responsible.
Pilot one market with one partner and a clear service boundary. Prove the client, payroll, funding and compliance workflow before announcing US coverage everywhere.
United States
How this differs by US state and metro
The answer above holds nationally. What changes locally is registration, insurance, wage rules and how much cash each contractor consumes — these are the states and metros founders ask us about most.
New York
New York City · Brooklyn · Long Island
Register with the New York State Department of Labor for unemployment insurance and with Taxation and Finance for withholding
New York guideTexas
Dallas–Fort Worth · Houston · Austin
Register with the Texas Workforce Commission for state unemployment tax
Texas guideFlorida
Miami · Orlando · Tampa
Register with the Florida Department of Revenue for reemployment tax
Florida guideIllinois
Chicago · Naperville · Rockford
Register with the Illinois Department of Employment Security for unemployment insurance and with the Department of Revenue for withholding
Illinois guideMetro-level wage, bill rate and startup cost detail:
United Kingdom
How this differs across the UK
UK employment law is national, so the rules travel with you. Rates, buyer behaviour and the size of the cash gap do not — here is what changes region by region.
Scotland
Edinburgh · Glasgow · Aberdeen
Energy, financial services, technology and health and social care carry the contract volume.
London and the South East
London · Reading · Cambridge
Financial services, legal, technology and professional services buy the deepest contract volume, and most large buyers run PSL or MSP procurement you have to get onto before you can bill.
Manchester and the North West
Manchester · Liverpool · Warrington
Technology, digital, healthcare and logistics generate steady contract demand across the corridor.
The Midlands
Birmingham · Nottingham · Leicester
Engineering, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing dominate temporary demand.
Local questions
Does this change if I start in New York?
The national answer holds. What changes in New York is local: Register with the New York State Department of Labor for unemployment insurance and with Taxation and Finance for withholding Check the New York page before you register anything, and model the cash gap on New York pay rates rather than national averages.
Is the answer different in Texas than in New York?
The economics are the same shape; the local detail is not. In Texas: Register with the Texas Workforce Commission for state unemployment tax That affects your registration checklist and your working capital number, not the underlying principle.
Which US cities does this apply to?
All of them — but we publish metro-level bill rate, wage and startup cost detail for New York City, Buffalo, Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth and more, because pay rates and buyer mix vary far more between metros than between states.
Do I need a separate licence in every state I place in?
You register where you have employees and where you do business, not once nationally. Most states require unemployment insurance and withholding registration plus workers' compensation cover; a minority licence employment agencies, and some cities — New York City among them — licence separately from the state. Confirm each state and city before your first placement there.
Does this work differently in Scotland?
The rules are UK-wide, so the compliance answer does not change. The commercial answer does: Energy, financial services, technology and health and social care carry the contract volume.
Sources
General information for recruitment and staffing founders, not legal, tax or accounting advice.
Go deeper
Taking a UK recruitment agency into the US
Entity, state registrations, workers' compensation, payroll funding and the first US hire — what changes when a UK recruitment or staffing business crosses the Atlantic.
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