Professional Seasonal Worker Visa support for applicants applying to work in eligible UK horticulture or poultry production roles. We help you review sponsorship, Certificate of Sponsorship details, maintenance evidence, documents, timing and refusal-risk points before you apply.
Check whether your sponsorship, job role, timing and maintenance evidence are ready before submission.
The UK Seasonal Worker Visa is a temporary work route for people who want to come to the UK for short-term seasonal work in eligible horticulture roles or specified poultry production roles. It is not a general work visa and it is not suitable for permanent employment, second jobs, family migration or long-term settlement planning.
The route is highly time-sensitive. Applicants must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from an approved seasonal worker sponsor before applying. The sponsor, role, pay, working hours and sector must all match the route requirements. A weak or incorrect sponsorship record can create refusal risk even where the applicant genuinely intends to work in the UK.
At Immigration Visa Expert, we help applicants identify key risks before submission, including financial evidence, Certificate of Sponsorship wording, sponsorship timing, job role, salary, previous seasonal-worker history and supporting documents.
The Certificate of Sponsorship must be current, valid for the application, issued by an approved sponsor, and must confirm the correct job details, salary, hours and sector. It can only be used once, and it is normally valid for 3 months from the date it is assigned.
Application timing: You can apply up to 3 months before the job start date shown on your Certificate of Sponsorship. If you are applying for a poultry production role, your application must be submitted on or before 15 November in the relevant year. For horticulture, you must not have been in the UK as a Seasonal Worker during the 4 months immediately before the start date on your new Certificate of Sponsorship. Horticulture permission is normally limited to a maximum of 6 months in any 10-month period.
This is an important area for professional review because applicants often focus only on personal documents, while refusal risk may come from the job description, salary wording, sponsor record, sector classification or timing rules.
The document position is usually narrower than many long-term visa routes, but accuracy still matters. We keep the review high-level and focused on the documents that affect eligibility, sponsorship and refusal risk.
We can review your sponsorship, maintenance and document position before you submit the application.
The Seasonal Worker route is not designed as an in-country extension route. Permission is restricted by sector, sponsorship dates and the maximum route period. Horticulture workers are usually limited to up to 6 months in any 10-month period. Poultry workers are limited to the annual poultry production period.
A further period of seasonal work may require a fresh sponsorship arrangement and careful timing. You can apply up to 3 months before the new job start date. For horticulture, you must not have been in the UK as a Seasonal Worker during the 4 months immediately before the new Certificate of Sponsorship start date. Poultry applications must be submitted on or before 15 November in the relevant year. Applicants should check previous seasonal-worker history, planned start date and the applicable timing rules before making a new application.
No. The Seasonal Worker route does not lead directly to indefinite leave to remain. It is a short-term temporary work route and is not designed for settlement. Applicants who want long-term UK residence should consider whether a different route may be more appropriate, such as a Skilled Worker route where they have a qualifying sponsored job and meet all requirements.
If your Seasonal Worker visa application is refused, check the decision notice and refusal reasons promptly. The Immigration Rules provide for Administrative Review of a Seasonal Worker refusal under Appendix AR where you believe the decision contains a caseworking error. Depending on the reason for refusal and the evidence available, a fresh application may sometimes be more appropriate, so the decision should be reviewed before taking the next step.
You must be aged 18 or over, have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from an approved seasonal worker sponsor, be applying from outside the UK, and meet the financial, suitability and job-role requirements for the route.
The route is mainly for seasonal horticulture work, such as fruit, vegetable, flower, mushroom, bulb, pot plant, ornamental and nursery-stock work, and for specified poultry production roles during the seasonal poultry window.
You can apply up to 3 months before the job start date shown on your Certificate of Sponsorship. For horticulture, you must not have been in the UK as a Seasonal Worker during the 4 months immediately before the start date on your new Certificate of Sponsorship. Horticulture permission is usually limited to the shorter of the sponsored job period with permitted extra days or up to 6 months in any 10-month period. Poultry workers are limited to the seasonal poultry window from 2 October to 31 December in the relevant year, and poultry applications must be submitted on or before 15 November in the relevant year.
You normally need at least £1,270 available and held for the required 28-day period, unless your A-rated sponsor certifies that they will maintain and accommodate you up to the required amount during the first month of employment.
The current application fee is £340. Other costs may include travel, appointment-related costs, translation, medical or criminal-record documents where required in the applicant’s country, and living expenses before the first wage payment.
No. Partners and children cannot apply as dependants under the Seasonal Worker route. This is an important planning point for applicants who need a family-friendly UK work route.
No. You can only work in the job described in the Certificate of Sponsorship. The route does not allow a permanent job, a second job, or work outside the sponsored seasonal role.
The route is not designed for in-country extension. Horticulture workers are limited by the maximum period and the seasonal-worker timing rules, and a fresh application normally needs a new sponsorship arrangement from outside the UK.
No. The Seasonal Worker route is not a direct route to indefinite leave to remain. Applicants who want long-term residence must usually consider a different visa category if they qualify.
Common risks include an invalid or unsuitable Certificate of Sponsorship, weak financial evidence, unsupported job or salary details, previous seasonal-worker timing issues, incorrect documents, or concerns about whether the role meets the route rules. If a refusal occurs, check the decision notice promptly because Seasonal Worker refusals are eligible for Administrative Review where the relevant Appendix AR requirements are met. A fresh application may sometimes be more appropriate depending on the refusal reason and evidence.
Study may be allowed, but some courses require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate. Work remains restricted to the sponsored seasonal role.
Yes. We can review the Certificate of Sponsorship details, maintenance evidence, passport and translation position, and the wider risk profile before the application is submitted.
For applicants with a long-term sponsored skilled job offer in the UK.
For UK employers planning to sponsor overseas workers under eligible routes.
For applicants who need advice after a refusal or high-risk decision.
Speak to Immigration Visa Expert before you apply. We can review your sponsorship, maintenance evidence, timing and document position and help you identify avoidable refusal risks.
