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Guidance

Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a Minister of Religion or religious worker

Guidance for sponsors on sponsoring a Minister of Religion or Religious Worker.

Updates to this page

From:
UK Visas and Immigration
Published:
9 December 2020
Last updated:
8 April 2026
Show all updates

  1. Updated guidance in line with the Immigration Rules changes coming into effect on 8 April 2026. A full list of changes can be found within the guidance.

  2. Updated to clarify that the Minister of Religion route can also be used by members of religious orders.

  3. The guidance has been updated to give effect to a commitment in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 November 2024 to prohibit sponsors from passing on sponsorship fees and associated administrative costs to their sponsored workers and to make some other minor amendments and clarifications.

  4. Guidance updated as detailed on page 6.

  5. Guidance updated to reflect a change in occupation code for clergy following the implementation of the SOC 2020 system. A full list of the changes can be found in the section 'Changes to this guidance'.

  6. Guidance has been updated to reflect changes to the Immigration Rules. Updates are to sections: MRW2.14, MRW4.13 and MRW4.16 to MRW4.18.

  7. An accessible version of the guidance has been added.

  8. The guidance has been updated to reflect changes to the Immigration Rules coming into force on 12 April 2023. A full list of the changes is in the document.

  9. Accessible version published.

  10. Guidance has been updated to remove reference to the fee concession for CESC nationals, and to make some other minor changes.

  11. Updated guidance with the following changes: About this guidance: references to transitional provisions for sponsors on the Religious Worker route deleted, as these are no longer required; MRW2.3, MRW2.5: paragraphs referring to transitional provisions for sponsors on the Religious Worker route deleted; subsequent paragraphs in this section renumbered accordingly; MRW8.A1: paragraph referring to transitional provision for Certificates of Sponsorship assigned before 11 October 2021 deleted, as any such Certificates will now have expired if not already used; MRW8.6: amended to reflect the ending of the fee concession for Certificates of Sponsorship assigned to CESC nationals from 26 February 2022 (as set out in Schedule 3 to the Immigration and Nationality (Replacement of T2 Sportsperson Route and Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2021); MRW8.6A: new paragraph to reflect ending of the above concession; other minor housekeeping changes.

  12. Updated guidance to reflect the rebranding of the Religious Worker route, and minor changes to the T2 Minister of Religion route, as set out in Statement of Changes HC 617. Other minor amendments and clarifications.

  13. Added accessible version.

  14. First published.

Documents

Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a Minister of Religion or religious worker (accessible)

HTML

Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a Minister of Religion or religious worker

PDF, 516 KB, 31 pages

Details

Guidance for religious organisations on how to sponsor a worker on the Minister of Religion and Religious Worker (Temporary Work) immigration routes.

The Minister of Religion route is for the recruitment of a person who has a key leading role within their faith-based organisation or religious order in the UK.

The Religious Worker route is for people who want to support the activities of religious institutions in the UK by conducting religious work, such as working in a religious order or filling non-pastoral placements, for no more than 2 years.

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