EU citizens can retain worker status for six months after several weeks of casual work

The Court of Justice of the European Union has decided that EU nationals can retain their status as workers for six months, even if they have only worked for two weeks in any EU country. Such a decision was reached in the Case C‑483/17 in “Tarola v Minister for Social Protection” which was about a Romanian national residing in Ireland. The Irish courts made a preliminary request to the Court of Justice asking for guidance on whether two weeks of work on a casual rather than fixed term contract was enough to entitle the person to a worker status during the six months of involuntary unemployment which followed. The Court of Justice held that EU citizens are entitled to be treated as workers in these circumstances under the condition that the person he has registered as a jobseeker with the relevant employment office.