Temporary work · IAA-regulated advice
UK Seasonal Worker Visa Advice in Birmingham & London
Come to the UK for up to 6 months of farm work in horticulture, or for the poultry season, through an approved scheme operator. We check your offer and dates, review your evidence and prepare your application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is the UK Seasonal Worker visa?
The Seasonal Worker visa lets you come to the UK to do seasonal work in horticulture, such as growing and picking fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants, for up to 6 months. Poultry production workers can come between 2 October and 31 December.
It’s set out in Appendix Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker of the Immigration Rules. You can’t be sponsored by a farm directly: your job offer must come from one of a small number of approved scheme operators, which place workers with farms. The route has a yearly quota, you apply from outside the UK, and it doesn’t lead to settlement.
✓This is your visa if…
- You’re 18 or over and outside the UK
- You’ve been offered seasonal work by an approved scheme operator
- The work is in horticulture, or in poultry production between 2 October and 31 December
- You plan to stay for the season only and leave when your visa ends
Quick check
Could you qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Are you 18 or over, and will you apply from outside the UK?You can’t switch to this visa from inside the UK.
Have you been offered work by an approved scheme operator?AGRI-HR, Concordia, Fruitful Jobs, HOPS Labour Solutions, Pro-Force, or RE Recruitment (poultry only).
Is the job in horticulture, or in poultry production between 2 October and 31 December?Poultry applications must be made by 15 November.
Does your offer pay at least £12.71 an hour, with at least 32 paid hours each week?Poultry butchers and dressers must be paid more.
Have you been outside the UK as a Seasonal Worker for at least 4 months before your job’s start date?Answer yes if this is your first season.
Do you have £1,270 in savings held for 28 days, or will your sponsor certify maintenance?Your sponsor confirms this on your certificate of sponsorship.
Eligibility
UK Seasonal Worker visa requirements
You must meet every requirement on the day you apply. Most of them depend on your job offer.
Your sponsor
- Your certificate of sponsorship must come from an approved scheme operator: AGRI-HR, Concordia (UK) Ltd, Fruitful Jobs, HOPS Labour Solutions Ltd, Pro-Force Limited, or RE Recruitment for poultry work only
- Each operator is A-rated, endorsed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and holds a gangmaster’s licence
- You must apply within 3 months of being given your certificate, and no more than 3 months before your start date
- A certificate can be used for only one application that’s decided
Farms can’t sponsor you directly. There’s no fee for your certificate: your sponsor pays it and can’t pass it on to you.
Your job and pay
- Horticulture covers growing vegetables, soft and orchard fruit, vines and hops, mushrooms, flowers and bulbs, pot plants, nursery stock and trees
- Poultry work covers listed roles, from processors and packers to catchers and vaccinators
- Poultry butchers and dressers must also be paid at the rate of at least £38,700 a year
- The job must comply with the National Minimum Wage and Working Time Regulations
Only guaranteed basic pay counts towards the minimum, not overtime, bonuses or allowances.
How long you can stay
- Your visa covers the job dates on your certificate, plus 14 days before and 14 days after, up to the maximum
- You can enter the UK up to 14 days before your job starts
- You can’t have been in the UK as a Seasonal Worker in the 4 months before your new start date
You can’t extend this visa. To work another season, you apply again from outside the UK.
Savings
- The money must be in your own account, and the 28th day must be within 31 days of the day you apply
- You don’t need savings if your sponsor certifies on your certificate that it will support you until the end of your first month, up to £1,270
- You can’t claim public funds (most benefits) on this visa
Ask your scheme operator whether it will certify maintenance before you gather bank statements.
Conditions and your history
- Work only in the job your sponsor is sponsoring you for: no second job and no permanent job
- You can move to another farm if your scheme operator authorises it
- Study is allowed, though some courses need an ATAS certificate
- No dependants, no switching to another visa in the UK, and no route to settlement
- Your immigration history and any criminal record are checked for suitability
There’s no English language requirement on this route.
Documents
Seasonal Worker visa documents: the easy part
The list is short. Most problems come from the job offer itself, or from dates that don’t fit the Rules.
What everyone needs
- Your passport or other identity document
- Your certificate of sponsorship reference number
- £Bank statements showing your savings, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance
- Your travel history, including any earlier Seasonal Worker visas
- Any local checks your country asks for, such as a criminal record check
- Certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh
Your scheme operator gives you the certificate of sponsorship reference. It’s a number, not a paper certificate, and there’s no charge for it.
Costs & timeline
Seasonal Worker visa cost and processing time
The Home Office fee is £340, and there’s no health surcharge because the visa is for 6 months or less. Most decisions are made within 3 weeks of proving your identity.
Applying from outside the UK
| Home Office application fee | £340 |
| Immigration Health Surchargenot payable: your visa is for 6 months or less | £0 |
| Home Office total, per applicantbefore travel and any local checks | £340 |
Home Office fee from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026 and health surcharge rules from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. You pay your own visa fee and travel. Your sponsor pays for your certificate of sponsorship and can’t charge you for it. Our consultation fees →
Get an offer
From an approved scheme operatorThe operator assigns you a certificate of sponsorship with your job, dates and pay. There’s no fee for it.
Apply and prove your identity
Up to 3 months before you startOnline application and fee, then the ID check app or fingerprints and photo at a visa centre. Poultry workers must apply by 15 November.
Decision
Usually within 3 weeksYou’ll be told if it will take longer.
Travel and work
From 14 days before your start dateWork only in your sponsored job. Your operator can authorise a move to another farm.
Leave the UK
When your visa endsTo come back for another season, you need a new certificate, a new application and 4 months outside the UK before your new start date.
Avoid a refusal
Common Seasonal Worker visa refusal reasons
Most refusals on this route come from the job offer or the dates, not from you. These are the issues we check first.
An offer from the wrong source
Only the approved scheme operators can sponsor you. Anyone else asking for money for a job or a visa is not part of the scheme.
We check: who your offer comes from before you pay or sign anything.
Applying too early or too late
You must apply within 3 months of getting your certificate and no more than 3 months before your start date. Poultry applications close on 15 November.
We check: your certificate dates against the date you plan to apply.
Too soon after your last season
You can’t have been here as a Seasonal Worker in the 4 months before your new start date, and horticulture stays are limited to 6 months in any 10.
We check: your previous visas and travel dates against the new job.
Pay or hours below the minimum
Your application will be refused if the job doesn’t meet the minimum hourly rate and weekly hours, or breaks minimum wage or working time rules.
We check: the pay and hours on your certificate.
No savings and no certification
If your sponsor hasn’t certified maintenance, you must show £1,270 held for 28 days in your own account.
We check: whether you need bank statements, and that they cover the full period.
Past immigration problems
Overstaying, working outside your visa or not declaring a refusal can lead to a refusal on suitability grounds.
We check: your history, and tell you plainly about any risk.
How we help
Our Seasonal Worker visa services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Offer check
We check your offer comes from an approved scheme operator and that your dates and pay meet the Rules.
Evidence review
We check your certificate, savings evidence and travel history against the Rules.
Full application
We prepare and submit your application, with a cover letter that sets out how you qualify.
Your next season
We check your new dates and certificate before you apply again.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. If you’re refused, we explain your options, including administrative review, and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser where your case needs a higher level of advice.
FAQs
Seasonal Worker visa questions, answered
Can I apply directly to a UK farm?
No. Farms can’t sponsor Seasonal Workers. Your job offer must come from one of the approved scheme operators, which place workers with farms.
Do I have to pay anyone for a job or a certificate?
No. There’s no fee for your certificate of sponsorship, and a scheme operator won’t ask you for money in exchange for a visa. You pay your own visa fee and travel, and in some countries local costs such as a criminal record check. Any other request for payment, or a job offer sent by WhatsApp or Telegram, is likely to be a scam.
How much will I be paid?
In horticulture, at least £12.71 an hour with at least 32 paid hours each week, even if you’re paid by how much you pick. Poultry butchers and dressers must get at least £15.88 an hour and the equivalent of £38,700 a year; other poultry roles have the same minimum as horticulture.
Can I change farms?
Yes, if your scheme operator authorises it. Operators must have a clear process for transfer requests and shouldn’t normally refuse one. If you feel unsafe or have a problem on a farm, talk to the farm manager or contact your scheme operator.
Can I bring my family?
No. Partners and children can’t come as dependants on this route. They would need a visa of their own.
Can I come back next season?
Yes, with a new certificate and a new application from outside the UK. You can’t have been here as a Seasonal Worker in the 4 months before your new start date, and horticulture work is limited to 6 months in any 10-month period.
Can I extend my visa or switch to another visa in the UK?
No. You can’t extend a Seasonal Worker visa, and you can’t switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK. To come on another route, you leave and apply from abroad.
Do I need to speak English or pay the health surcharge?
No. There’s no English language requirement, and you don’t pay the health surcharge because the visa is for 6 months or less. You’ll usually need to pay for any NHS care you use, unless it’s a free service.
Related routes
Other routes to work in the UK
Youth Mobility Scheme
Up to 2 years’ work for young people from participating countries.
Read more →Skilled Worker visa
A sponsored job, and a route to settlement.
Read more →Temporary work routes
Compare all the temporary work visas.
Read more →Temporary Worker sponsor licence
For UK organisations sponsoring temporary workers.
Read more →Ready when you are
Season, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.