UK Temporary Worker Visas

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UK Temporary Worker Visas

A Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa allows individuals to come to the UK to work in certain specified areas of edible and ornamental horticulture, for example, picking fruit, vegetables or flowers. The permit allows the worker to stay in the UK for up to six months out of any twelve-month period.

A number of other Temporary Worker visas exist, including the International Agreement Worker visa. At IBB Law, we have experience across the full range of Temporary Work visa UK requirements and we can represent you in applying for the correct visa for your circumstances.

Formerly referred to as a Tier 5 Temporary Worker visa, the Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa will allow you to take up a job you have been offered by an employer who has been authorised to provide you with a valid certificate of sponsorship.

The process of obtaining a Temporary Worker visa can be complex, particularly as you are required to apply from overseas. We can deal with your application on your behalf, ensuring you have the best chance of success.

We understand how important it is to be able to start your job when the work is available, especially in the seasonal horticultural employment sector, and we always deal with applications quickly, to avoid unnecessary delays. Our experience also means that we are able to get the paperwork right first time so that you won’t have to deal with re-applications or be asked to provide more documentation before your visa can be issued.

Our immigration team also works with businesses in the agriculture and horticulture sector to help them secure a sponsorship licence so that they can take on the overseas workers they need. We can put together your application for a licence and work with you to ensure compliance when issuing certificates of sponsorship and taking on foreign workers.

If you are unsure which visa is right for you, we can go through other available UK visas to ensure that you have chosen the best immigration route or advise you of your options in the event that your application for a Temporary Worker visa is refused.

Meet the team

Complete support for UK Temporary Worker visa applications

Our expert immigration lawyers represent workers from around the world in respect of a full range of visas, ensuring their applications are as strong as possible and that the accompanying documentation is present and correct.

Our services include:

  •  Assessing whether you are eligible for a UK Temporary Worker visa
  • Preparing a Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa application on your behalf
  • Putting together the documentation required to accompany your visa application
  • Temporary Worker visa rejections and refusals

We also work with businesses who wish to hire temporary overseas workers, dealing with applications for sponsor licences and issuing certificates of sponsorship, enabling them to offer work to individuals from other countries.

For more information regarding our services, see UK business immigration lawyers.

Why choose IBB Law for help with applying for a UK Temporary Worker visa?

Our expert UK immigration solicitors at IBB Law offer the following:

  • In-depth knowledge of UK Immigration laws, policies and procedures.
  • Hands on support from experts who keep up-to-date with developments in the law so that you always receive practical and accurate advice.
  • A cost-effective and timely service with great attention to detail.
  • Independently accredited immigration expertise with our team being ranked by leading client guide the Legal 500 for Immigration Law.

Looking for immediate help with a UK Temporary Worker visa application?

Our team of immigration experts can help you ensure that you are applying for the correct visa, go through other alternatives with you and deal with any difficulties that arise.

To discuss your situation with our industry-leading business immigration solicitors, you can call us on 03456 381381 or email immigrationteam@ibblaw.co.uk

How to apply for a Temporary Worker visa for the UK

Set out below is a guide to the following key aspects of Temporary worker visas.

Making a Temporary Worker visa application

An application for a Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa can be made up to three months in advance of the start date of the employment and must be made from outside of the UK.

The job will need to be offered to you by a sponsor who is licensed to provide you with a certificate of sponsorship.

Seasonal jobs that can be offered under the Temporary Worker visa are in the following areas of horticulture:

  • Protected vegetables grown under glass
  • Field vegetables grown outside, to include herbs, leafy salads and potatoes as well as vegetables
  • Soft fruit, both grown outside and under glass or in polytunnels, to include strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and all ribes and rubus species
  • Orchard fruit (also referred to as top fruit) that is tree-grown, such as apples, plums, cherries and apricots
  • Vine and bine crops that twine or climb, to include grapes (vine) and hops (bine)
  • Mushrooms, generally grown inside and of various varieties
  • Bulbs and cut flowers, grown inside and outside, to include daffodils
  • Pot plants, including seasonal bedding plants such as pansies, violas, geraniums and poinsettias
  • Hardy ornamental nursery stock, to include Christmas trees, shrubs, roses, ornamental trees and perennials
  • Work at tree and forest nurseries

Temporary Worker visa refusals and rejections

If your application is refused or rejected, you are advised to seek legal help. If UK Visas and Immigration have made an error in processing your application, you may be able to ask for an administrative review.

If your Temporary Worker visa application is rejected because of errors on your part, you may be able to apply again. You will need to set out why a mistake was made and explain that it was inadvertent. Our team can go through your application and advise you on your best course of action, ensuring that if you do reapply, any errors are rectified.

Renewing a Temporary Worker visa

A Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa lasts for six months out of every twelve. You will not be able to extend your stay from within the UK. If you wish to return again for another season, you can apply for another visa after leaving.

If you are in the UK on a different immigration route, you cannot change to a Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa from that route – you will need to leave the UK and apply for the visa from overseas.

Temporary Worker visa fees

The application fee for a Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa is £244.

What rights does a Temporary Worker visa give you?

A Temporary Worker visa grants the right to work in the job set out in your certificate of sponsorship supplied by your employer.

You are also allowed to study, although you may require a certificate of approval for certain postgraduate study in sensitive subjects, for example related to weapons technology.

Under this type of visa, you are not permitted to take on a permanent job or work in a second or other job that is not listed in your certificate of sponsorship.

You cannot bring family members to the UK with you, nor can you access benefits.

Temporary Worker visa requirements

The requirements for a Temporary Worker visa include the following:

  • You must be aged 18 or older
  • You have a certificate of sponsorship reference number from your potential employee
  •  The job you have been offered is included in the list of eligible jobs
  •  You have enough money to support yourself, generally a minimum of £1,270, and you have held this for at least 28 consecutive days and within one month of making your visa application. Alternatively, if your sponsor will be covering your costs in the UK, they can note this on their certificate of sponsorship
  •  You have paid the application fee and health charge
  •  You have provided satisfactory biometric identity information

To establish your identity by way of the biometric system, you will need to either:

  • Have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre, available to those outside of the UK; or
  • Use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document. This requires you to create a UK Visas and immigration account

If you are given an appointment at a visa application centre, you will need to take your passport and any other documents that are requested. The centre may need to keep these while your application is processed. Some application centres offer a fast-track processing service.

Your potential employer must hold a licence to sponsor seasonal workers, which will give them the authority to provide you with a certificate of sponsorship. This should include the following information:

  • The job description and salary
  • Your name
  • The proposed start date, which must be no more than three months away from the date of your application for a Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa
  • A statement that the certificate of sponsorship has not previously been used to apply for a visa which was declined and that it has not been withdrawn by the sponsor or cancelled by UK Visas and Immigration
  • A statement confirming that the job complies with the law, to include minimum wage and working time legislation

Supporting documents for a Temporary Worker visa application

The documents you will need to supply to obtain a Temporary Worker visa for the UK include the following:

  • The reference number in respect of your certificate of sponsorship, available from your potential employer
  • A valid passport or other identity document that shows your identity and nationality
  • Evidence of your savings to comply with the financial requirements of the visa, such as bank statements. Alternatively, if your employer (your sponsor) will be supporting you for the first month, this should be noted on your certificate of sponsorship

Your passport or other identity document will need to have a blank page available for your visa to be added.

If any of your documentation is not in English or Welsh, you will need to supply certified translations.

How long does it take to get a Temporary Worker visa?

Once your biometric information has been provided, you should receive a decision in respect of your Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa application within three weeks.

Some visa applications centres may offer a fast-track service for processing your biometric identity documents.

Get immediate expert advice on applying for a UK Temporary Worker visa

If you need expert advice and support with a UK Temporary Worker visa application, our highly experienced business immigration team will be happy to assist.

To discuss your situation with our industry-leading business immigration solicitors, you can call us on 03456 381381 or email immigrationteam@ibblaw.co.uk.

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