The Seasonal Worker visa allows you to come to the UK temporarily to carry out certain kinds of seasonal work.
The Seasonal Worker visa allows foreign seasonal workers to come to the UK temporarily and work in certain jobs.
The types of eligible work under this visa include the following:
If you wish to work in poultry with this visa, you must apply by 15 November each year.
If you wish to work in horticulture with this visa, you can apply at any time of year.
This visa has replaced the Temporary Worker – Seasonal Worker visa (T5).
To be eligible for the Seasonal Worker visa, you must:
You will be able to stay in the UK for:
You will be able to enter the UK as soon as your visa is approved (up to 14 days before the start date of your job).
With a Seasonal Worker visa, you will be allowed to:
Note that you will not be allowed to:
Below are the specific job titles and sectors that are eligible under the Seasonal Worker visa.
Eligible jobs include occupations growing the following:
Eligible jobs and occupation codes include the following:
You must apply for the Seasonal Worker visa online through the Gov.uk website.
When applying for this visa, you’ll have to fill in the application form with your personal information and upload the necessary supporting documents.
You’ll also have to prove your identity. This will either be done at a visa application centre, where you’ll also give your biometrics information, or the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document.
Which one you’ll have to do will depend on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.
If you need to attend a visa application centre, you’ll give your fingerprints and have a photograph taken of you for your biometric residence permit. In addition, the visa application centre may need to keep your passport and documents while they process your application.
You will need to provide the following documents when applying for the Seasonal Worker visa:
You may be asked to provide additional documents after you apply.
You will also need to have a blank page in your passport to allow for your visa to be placed inside.
Note that you must also provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.
The Seasonal Worker visa costs £259 to obtain.
Once you’ve submitted your online application, proved your identity and supplied your supporting documents, you should receive a decision on your application within 3 weeks.
Note that you can only apply for your visa up to 3 months before your job’s start date. The job’s start date should be listed on your certificate of sponsorship.
Applicants for Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker Visa must obtain a certificate of sponsorship from a registered employer before they start working. The sponsoring employer must have an A-rated listing on the official Home Office register of licensed sponsors.
They must also be endorsed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and be licensed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.
The CoS must have been given to you no more than three months prior to the date on your Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker Visa application.
Before distributing a UK seasonal visa to temporary workers, employers must be a valid scheme operator endorsed by DEFRA and licensed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.
As an employer, you must ensure that your employees are monitored and cared for in a professional sense. For instance, as an employer you must provide:
The Seasonal Worker visa route is one of numerous temporary work visas offered by the UK government.
If you’re a foreign worker looking to come to the UK under the seasonal worker scheme, or you’re an employer looking to obtain Seasonal Worker visas for your business, WMYV can help.
We are knowledgeable immigration lawyers specialising in both personal and business international immigration. We are experienced with working with both individuals and business or scheme operators to ensure that they can get the results and outcomes that they require.
Whether you’re a business who needs assistance obtaining a sponsor licence to sponsor foreign workers, an individual looking to come to the UK for temporary work, or just need to speak to an immigration lawyer for more information about your own specific circumstances, we can help.
Reach out to us for more information or to see how we can help you?
As of the year 2022, the yearly quota for Seasonal Worker visa UK applicants is 40,000, with 38,000 places being allocated to horticulture, and 2,000 places being allocated to poultry production.
Note that these quotas may well change from year on year.
As of 2022, you are no longer able to apply for a UK Seasonal Worker visa to work in pork butchery roles. The only two eligible occupation roles include as a horticulture worker or a poultry production worker.
You will not be able to extend your Seasonal Worker visa beyond its initial period of validity.
Additionally, you will not be able to switch to a Seasonal Worker visa from inside the UK. If you’re in the UK on another type of visa and wish to switch to this visa, you will first have to leave the UK and submit an application from another country.
You must not be employed in any other type of work in the UK while on your Seasonal worker visa that is not on your sponsor licence. You will not be entitled to access public funds.
You may be able to study on the seasonal worker visa.
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