Table Of Contents
- Eligibility for seasonal worker visa
- Certificate of sponsorship
- Financial requirements
- Salary requirement
The Seasonal Worker route opened in March 2019, replacing the Temporary Worker – Seasonal Worker visa (T5). This visa lets you come to the UK temporarily to do seasonal work in horticulture (growing and producing plants and crops) or poultry production (seasonal work connected with poultry, such as chickens and other farmed birds). If you are working in a role in the horticulture sector, you can stay in the UK for a maximum of 6 months in any 10-month period. On the other hand, you can stay in the UK for a period that starts on 2 October and ends on 31 December of the same year if you are in a job in the poultry production sector.
This is a sponsored route where you can only be sponsored by approved scheme operators.
UK Government sets a maximum number of visas or places that can be granted under this route in a particular year. The annual quota is split between the horticulture and poultry production sectors.
This route does not allow your family members (partner and children) to join you as dependants and does not allow you to apply for ILR or settlement in the UK.
Eligibility for seasonal worker visa
Seasonal work means work that is available or needed only during a particular season or limited period of the year. For example, in agriculture, some crops need extra workers only when they are ready to be planted, picked or harvested.
If you are seeking permission for a seasonal worker visa to come to the UK as a Seasonal Worker, you must have applied for and been granted entry clearance on this route before you travel to the UK. If you are applying for a Seasonal Worker visa from outside the UK, you must normally have spent a minimum of 4 months outside the UK immediately before submitting your new entry clearance application, if you were previously in the UK as a Seasonal Worker.
You must, when seeking obtaining entry clearance as a Seasonal Worker, meet all the following requirements:
(a) You must be 18 or over when you apply
(b) You must have paid any visa fee
(c) You must have enrolled your biometrics (fingerprints and facial photo) when required
(d) You must have given a valid passport/other travel document to establish your nationality and identity
(e) You must have been assigned a CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) issued to you no more than 3 months before you apply
(f) If the CoS confirms that your job role is for poultry production work, your date of application must be on or before 15 November in each year.
You need to fulfil the following eligibility requirements for a successful seasonal worker visa as well.
1. Certificate of sponsorship
You must have been issued a CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) from the authorised scheme operator handling your sponsorship. The CoS must confirm that you are employed in either the horticulture or the poultry production sector. The CoS contains details such as:
• your job
• the type of seasonal work
• your employer/sponsor
• your start and end dates
• the sponsorship reference number
Your sponsor must be an approved A-rated sponsor, have an endorsement from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) – the government department responsible for areas including farming, food, agriculture and the rural environment in relation to the Seasonal Worker route, and be licensed by the GLAA (Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority), which regulates businesses that supply workers to certain sectors, including agriculture, horticulture and food processing.
You will need your CoS reference number (the unique number generated when a UK sponsor assigns a CoS to a worker) from your employer. You must enter your exact CoS reference number in your visa application, and the CoS reference number can generally be used only once.
Your CoS remains valid for 3 months from the date it is assigned to you.
2. Financial requirements
The financial requirement (money you have available to support yourself when you arrive) for the UK Seasonal Worker visa in 2026 is £1,270. This requirement can be met in 2 ways:
a. Using your own funds
This means you must have a minimum of £1,270 (held for a 28-day period) on the date of your application, and the end of that 28-day period must fall within 31 days of your visa application.
For example:
If you apply for a seasonal worker visa on 20 October, the relevant 28-day period must meet the rules on the date of application, with the final day of the 28-day period falling within the required 31-day window.
b. Your sponsor can cover it
You may not need to show funds of £1,270 or more in your bank account if your employer/sponsor confirms (they must state it on your CoS) that they will maintain and accommodate you up to this amount during your first month in the UK as a seasonal worker, if necessary.
3. Salary requirement
Your sponsor must pay you at least the minimum wage for the job you have been offered (as per the NMW (National Minimum Wage) Regulations). They must also follow the UK rules for how many hours a week you work (as per the Working Time Regulations). If your sponsor fails to do so, your application for a seasonal worker visa will be refused.
If you are sponsored for a horticulture sector job or under the occupation code 8111 (food operative), 9111 (poultry catcher/handle), 9119 (poultry vaccinator), or 9132 (poultry meat packer) in the poultry production sector, your CoS must confirm that:
- your sponsor will pay you at least £12.21 for each hour you have worked and at least 32 hours’ pay each week; or
- If you are sponsored under the occupation code 5431 (butcher) or 5433 (bird/game dresser) in the poultry production sector, your sponsor will pay you at least 15.88 for each hour you have worked and £38,700 a year.
You will be required to provide supporting documents to prove that you meet all of the eligibility requirements.
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