UK Charity Worker Visa

Temporary Worker Visa for Charity Work

The Charity Worker Visa is a subcategory of the UK Temporary Worker Visa. It is for those who plan to do unpaid voluntary work while in the UK.

The Charity Worker Visa route allows you to stay in the UK for up to 12 months, or the time given on your Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is the shorter of the two. If you want to work in the UK for longer than this or to do paid work whilst in the UK, you should consider one of the other work visas.

Whilst in the UK on a Charity Worker Visa, you can do unpaid charity work for your sponsor, and you can also study and take on a second job, providing it is either in the same sector as your main job or is for a role on the immigration salary list without needing to get another work visa.

There are some limitations to this visa that a charity worker should note. You cannot receive payment for any work you do in the UK or take on a permanent job. You also cannot access public funds.

Who is eligible for the UK Charity Worker Visa?

To be eligible for a Charity Worker Visa, you must be doing unpaid voluntary work in the UK. The UK immigration rules define this as “activities which would not normally be offered at a waged or salaried rate, and which contribute directly to the achievement or advancement of the sponsor’s charitable purpose.”

The charity work cannot include roles in administration, retail, fund-raising or the maintenance of the charity’s offices or other assets.

As well as meeting the above work requirements, there are several other requirements that you must meet to be eligible for this visa; you must:

• Be over the age of 18
• Hold a certificate of sponsorship from a charity that holds a valid UK Sponsor Licence
• Be able to financially support yourself whilst in the UK, you will need to have at least £1,270 of personal savings available in your bank account

How to apply

You can apply for the Charity Worker Visa for up to 3 months before starting your temporary work in the UK. You must apply for this visa online and can do so on the gov.uk website.

As well as completing the visa application form, you must prove your identity as part of the visa application process. How you do this will depend on what type of passport you hold. You can either scan your passport on the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app, or if you are unable to do this, you will need to attend an appointment at a visa application centre to have your biometric information taken; this is your photograph and fingerprints.

You will be told which one you need to do when you apply. If you need to go to a visa application centre, they might need to keep your passport and other documents while your Charity Worker Visa application is being processed.

Once you successfully submit your charity worker application, you can expect to receive a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

Required documents for the Temporary Work – Charity Worker Visa

As part of your Charity Worker Visa application, the Home Office will also expect each charity worker applying to submit a number of documents and a portfolio of supporting evidence to demonstrate that you can meet the visa requirements.

The documents you will need for your Charity Worker Visa application include:

• A valid passport or another national identity document
• Your certificate of sponsorship reference number
• Evidence that you have enough money to support yourself whilst in the UK, such as bank statements
• Your tuberculosis test results if you are travelling from a country that requires the test

If you intend to bring any dependent relatives to the UK on the Charity Worker visa, you must also submit documents to prove your relationships with them, such as marriage certificates or children’s birth certificates.

Bringing family members to the UK

Temporary workers can bring certain family members to the UK on their visa. The family members that can join you on your Temporary Worker Charity Visa include:

• Spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners
• Children under the age of 18
• Children over the age of 18, if they are already living in the UK as your dependent

Any dependent relatives joining you in the UK must make a separate visa application, and they can apply to join you online.

To be eligible to be your dependents, they must prove their relationship with you and show that they have enough money to be financially supported whilst in the UK. You will need to show that there is at least:

• £285 for your partner
• £315 per child

How can IAS help?

When applying for a UK visa, it is highly recommended that you seek assistance from an immigration expert because visa applications can be incredibly complex. Making any mistake could be enough to have your application refused by the Home Office.

Our immigration lawyers are highly trained and have decades of experience in UK immigration law. This means we can ensure that your Charity Worker visa application is completed to the highest standard and give you the best chance of success.

We can provide you with professional legal advice and options for charity worker visas, which includes assessing whether you are eligible for a Temporary Worker Charity Visa. If you do not qualify for a temporary worker visa as a charity worker, we can also assess whether you are eligible for any other temporary worker visas.