Seasonal Worker Visa

To be eligible for the Seasonal Worker visa, you must:

• Be 18 or over when you apply
• Have a certificate of sponsorship from a Home Office-approved sponsor
• Plan to work in an eligible horticulture or poultry production job in the UK
• Have enough money to support yourself in the UK, which is usually at least £1,270 available (unless your employer can cover the costs of this for you)
  • You must have had this money in your bank account for at least 28 consecutive days within the 31 day period prior to the date of application
• Pay the application fee

You will be able to stay in the UK for:

• Up to 6 months for horticulture work
• From 18 October to 31 December each year for poultry work

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:

• Work in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship
• Study (you may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate for some courses)

Note that you will not be allowed to:

• Take a permanent job
• Work in a second job or a job that isn’t described in your certificate of sponsorship
• Access public funds
• Bring family members with you
• Apply for permanent settlement in the UK

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:

• Your certificate of sponsorship reference number (you will be given this by your sponsor)
• A valid passport or other document that shows your identity and nationality
• Evidence that you have enough personal savings to support yourself in the UK, such as bank statements (unless your certificate of sponsorship shows your sponsor can support you)

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:

• Safe work environment meeting Health and Safety standards.
• Fair treatment of workers without penalties for not meeting piece-rate targets.
• Employment contracts in both the worker’s first language and English, excluding zero-hours contracts.
• Proper payment in accordance with National Minimum Wage regulations, including fair piece-work rates and Holiday Pay.
• Allowance of time off and adequate breaks.