TEMPORARY WORK-SEASONAL WORKER VISA

The Temporary Work– Seasonal Worker Visa is for workers who have a job offer in the

UK to do seasonal horticulture work or poultry production work with a sponsor who is
an approved scheme operator.

A person on the Seasonal Worker horticulture work route can stay in the UK for a maximum
period of six months in any 12-month period. A poultry production worker can stay in the
UK for a period of time beginning no earlier than 2 October and ending no later than 31
December each year.

The Seasonal Worker visa is not a route to settlement and applicants cannot be joined by
dependent partners and children.

Requirements for a Temporary Work– Seasonal Worker Visa
In order to qualify for a Temporary Work– Seasonal Worker Visa, you will need to satisfy

UK Visas and Immigration that:

• You are aged 18 or over;
• You have a valid ‘Certificate of Sponsorship’ from your employer with information
  about the role you have been offered;
• You will be working in an eligible role, that falls within the list of ‘horticulture’ or
  ‘poultry production
• You have at least £1,270 held for 28 days or your employer has agreed to
  cover your costs during your first month in the UK to an amount of at least £1,270;
• You have paid the visa application fee and Immigration Health Charge and provided
  any required biometric information;
• You do not fall for refusal under the general grounds for refusal.
  Eligible Roles

In order to qualify for a Temporary Work– Seasonal Worker Visa within the horticulture
sector or poultry production sector, your proposed role must be an eligible role.

This means that, in order to meet the requirements for a Seasonal Worker visa on the basis
of work within the horticulture sector, the type of produce being farmed must be:

• Protected Vegetables– grown in glasshouse systems; or
• Field Vegetables– grown outdoors, including vegetables, herbs, leafy salads and
  potatoes or
• Soft Fruit– grown both outdoors or under cover e.g. in glasshouses or a polytunnel.
  This includes strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and all rabes and
  rubus species; or
• TopFruit (Orchard Fruit)– trees that bear fruit e.g. apples, plums, cherries, apricots;
  or Vine and Bines– both twining or climbing flexible stems of certain plants, e.g.
  hops, grapes; or
• Mushrooms– typically covers Agaricus bisporus species but can also include more
  exotic
• species (typically grown indoors).
• Bulbs and cut flowers (such as daffodils) grown outdoors and indoors; or
• Potplants, such as seasonal bedding plants like pansies, violas, germaniums and
  poinsettias;
• Hardyornamental nursery stock– this includes Christmas trees and covers shrubs,
  roses, ornamental trees and perennials;
• Tree and forest nurseries.

In order to meet the requirements for a Seasonal Worker visa on the basis of poultry
production work, the work must involve undertaking one of the following roles:

• Butcher;
• Bird/game dresser;
• Killer and plucker;
• Plucker;
• Poulterer;
• Poultry processor;
• Poultry sticker;
• Trusser;
• Foodoperative;
• Poultry catcher/handler;
• Poultry vaccinator;
• Poultry meat packer.

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) Requirement
In order to obtain a Temporary Work– Seasonal Worker Visa you must have a valid

Certificate of Sponsorship for the role you are planning to do. This is recorded electronically.

Your Certificate of Sponsorship must have been issued by a sponsor who:

• Islisted as A-rated on the Home Office’s register of licensed sponsors; and
• Hasanendorsement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  in relation to the Seasonal Worker route; and
• Is licensed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

Your Certificate of Sponsorship must have been issued not more than 3 months before the
date of your Seasonal Worker visa application. If the Certificate of

Sponsorship confirms
that the role is in the poultry production sector, the date of application must be on or before
15 November in each year.

Your Certificate of Sponsorship must include certain mandatory information, including:
Details of your name, job and salary;

• Astart date which is no more than 3 months after the date your Seasonal Worker
  visa application;
• Confirmation that the Certificate of Sponsorship has not been used in a previous
  application which was either granted or refused and has not been withdrawn by the
  sponsor or canceled by the Home Office;
• Confirmation that the position complies with relevant legislation such as the relevant
  Agricultural Wages Order rate, where this applies, and the Working Time Regulation;
• Confirmation that you will be paid at least £10.42 for each hour worked.
  Your Certificate of Sponsorship must confirm that you will:
• Bepaidat least £10.42 for each hour worked; and
• If you are being sponsored in the horticulture sector or as a food operative, poultry
  catcher/handler, poultry vaccinator for poultry meat packer in the poultry production
  sector, receive at least 32 hours paid employment each week; and
• If you are being sponsored as a butcher, bird/game dresser, killer and plucker,
  plucker, poulterer, poultry processor, poultry sticker or trusser in the poultry
  production sector, be paid at least £26,200 per year.