To overcome the labor shortage in the food supply chain,45,000 foreign workers will be granted seasonal worker visas in the UK next year. The temporary visa program includes 2,000 visas in the poultry sector and 43,000 in the horticulture sector.
The UK government has also announced to extend this program till 2029. This will help the agricultural sector to properly overcome labor shortage in long-term manners. The employers in this category will be able to get sponsor licenses to properly focus on people they need from abroad. The extension of this visa route will help the sector increase automation to decrease labor demands.
The temporary seasonal worker visa program was set till 2024 when 45,000 workers were allowed for the current year (2024). Now the extension of this route will allow foreign workers to apply for this visa for the next five years 2025 to 2029 as well.
What is the Seasonal Worker Visa in the UK?
The seasonal worker visa in the UK is a temporary visa route. This has now been extended from 2025 to 2029. This visa route has replaced previously intact Tier 5 (Temporary worker – seasonal worker visa). The applicants can get a seasonal worker visa for six months to work in:
- seasonal worker areas including fruit, vegetables, and flower picking;
- for the category of poultry work, from 2 October to 31 December in the same year (visa application is mandatory by 15 November each year).
Requirements for seasonal worker visa
Seasonal workers only need to fulfill the following requirements;
- they are 18 years and above;
- they have a job offer from an employer in the UK;
- they hold a valid certificate of sponsorship;
- their sponsor is a registered sponsor with the UK government;
- they have £1,270 in their personal bank account before the visa application. The sponsor can also mention that they can sport the applicant, in this case, no bank statement with a minimum amount is required.
they have a valid passport.
New Measures for the Seasonal Worker Industry
To support the industry in poultry, horticulture, and seasonal works, the UK government is considering the following measures:
- allowing the extension of the seasonal worker visa route for 5 years until 2029 to give businesses time to plan efficiently;
- funding of up to £50 million for new technological advancement to assist fully automated packhouses and more support to follow to bring robotic crop pickers on a par with human pickers in three to five years;
- attract domestic workers, creating an excellent strategy to enhance skills provision.