Seasonal Worker Visa of the UK allows foreign workers to come to the UK on a temporary visa in the fields of horticulture and poultry. A visa of 6 months is granted based on a job in the seasonal work field.
Applicants from around the world can apply for this visa. The government of the UK has been running this route to overcome the labor shortage in the seasonal work and food industry chain.
What is a seasonal worker visa of the UK?
The “Seasonal Worker Visa” in the UK is a temporary visa route. The overall duration is six months. A visa applicant can work in the UK under this category:
- up to 6 months in horticulture for jobs such as fruit, vegetable, and flower picking;
- from 2 October to 31 December for “Poultry” in the same year.
The applicants need to apply for the visa till 15 November each year.
This visa route has replaced the previous Tier 5 (temporary worker visa – seasonal worker). The new seasonal worker visa route has also been extended from 2025 to 2029. Overall, 45,000 workers from around the world will be able to apply for the visa next year. This includes 2,000 visas in the poultry sector and 43,000 in the horticulture sector.
Who can apply?
Anyone aged 18 and above can apply for this visa route. One must have a clean immigration and character history. A job offer is required from a UK employer in the seasonal worker industry to apply for the visa.
Eligibility requirements
The applicants, interested in applying for the seasonal worker visa must fulfill the requirements set by the UK government such as they:
- are 18 years and above;
- have a job offer from an employer in the UK that also fulfills the salary threshold requirements. The job must also have a working hours under the UK laws;
- hold a valid certificate of sponsorship;
- choose a sponsor who is registered 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.
What are the minimum Wages in the UK?
In the UK, for ages 21 and above, the wage level is called the “National Living Wage”. On the other hand, for school-leaving students, this is called the “National Minimum Wage”. According to the newly announced rate from April 2024, the following are the wage levels are as follows in the UK:
| 21 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice |
| £11.44 | £8.60 | £6.40 | £6.40 |
What is a Certificate of Sponsorship?
A certificate of sponsorship is a reference number that contains your personal information, details about the job you intend to do in the UK, information about your employer, and other mandatory details.
This document is provided by the employer to you which you have to mention in your online visa application. This reference number is valid only for three months from the time it is issued. It can only be used once for the application submission process.
What is a registered sponsor?
Your job offer must be from a registered sponsor. The government of the UK has a list of sponsors who are eligible under the register of sponsors to hire foreign workers from abroad. You must check first if your employer’s name exists in the register of sponsors (for temporary workers).
What is the required money to show as maintenance?
You as an applicant, must also show that you have £1,270 in your personal bank account before the visa application. The amount must be kept for 28 consecutive days in the bank account before visa submission.
You can also apply for the visa without having this amount in your bank account. To do so, your sponsor can mention in the certificate of sponsorship that they can sport your maintenance.
Processing time
The processing time for the seasonal worker visa depends if you have submitted all the required documents. On average, the UKVI processes these visas within three weeks. You can apply for the visa however even before 3 months before the job start date.
Cost of Seasonal Worker Visa
The total cost of the visa depends on your nationality. The main visa fee is the same for all applicants which is £298. Costs such as biometric, and visa application centers differ in each country you apply from.
Applicants can also choose to get faster decisions on the visa application by paying £500 extra. This way, the visa application is decided within 5 working days.
Required documents
To show your eligibility for the visa, you must include the following document in your visa application:
- a valid passport;
- a job offer letter;
- work contract;
- certificate of sponsorship;
- a personal bank statement; and
- a TB test (only for some countries).
Applying for the visa
You must apply for the visa online. All the documents must be submitted in the form of scanned copies. You will be told at the end of the online application where to submit your biometrics and passport. For applicants from some countries, it is offered to use an ID check app to prove their identity.
Please note that the visa fees are also paid online during the visa application submission process. The service charges of the visa application centers are collected by them directly.
Conditions of the visa
On this seasonal worker visa route, some conditions mean you cannot:
- get access to public funds;
- do a second job that is not mentioned in the CoS;
- sponsor your family member to bring them to the UK; and
- take a permanent job offer.
Traveling to the UK
After you are granted the seasonal worker visa and get back your passport, make sure to travel to the UK on the given date on your passport. You must also in your employer about your travelling dates. Be well prepared for the pre-departure briefing that can be accessed here.
Finding jobs in the UK
You can use different resources online to find seasonal worker jobs. Our job-finding guide will assist you with this process here.
If you do not qualify for the seasonal worker visa, please check other options here for getting a skilled worker visa in the UK.