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Guidance

Sponsor a seasonal worker

Guidance for sponsors on sponsoring a seasonal worker.

Updates to this page

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

  1. The guidance has been updated to confirm the annual quota for the Seasonal Worker route for 2027 and to make some other minor changes.

  2. Information on the permitted work for Seasonal Worker Visa holders has been added to the accessible HTML attachment.

  3. The guidance has been updated to reflect changes to the Immigration Rules coming into effect on 8 April 2026. A full list of changes can be found within the document.

  4. Updated to clarify that a person applying as a Seasonal Worker to work in the horticulture sector must not have been in the UK as a Seasonal Worker during the 4-month period immediately before the start date on their Certificate of Sponsorship.

  5. The guidance has been updated. A full list of changes can be found within the document.

  6. Guidance updated to reflect changes to the Immigration Rules coming into effect on 9 April 2025.

  7. Updated to amend the definition of the 'poultry production sector' and the revised 2025 quota.

  8. Updated to reflect changes to the Immigration Rules. A full list of updates is in the 'Changes to this guidance' section.

  9. The guidance has been updated to reflect a minor change in policy on compliance metrics, to update salary requirements and to make some other minor clarifications and amendments. Full details of the changes are set out in the guide.

  10. Updated guidance to reflect new pay requirements which will come into effect with the new immigration rules from 12 April.

  11. Workers are now allowed to re-enter the UK 5 months after leaving rather than 6 months, under a concession. Added information about new salary requirements which come into effect on 12 April 2023.

  12. Updated quota allocation and deleted references to pork butchers as this sector is no longer able to use the route.

  13. Updated the guidance to include poultry workers.

  14. Updated guidance for use on or after 6 April.

  15. Guidance updated with the following changes: SE5.6: minor amendment to reflect that the CoS fee concession for CESC nationals has been abolished; paragraph SE5.6A has been deleted; SE6: this section has been amended to reflect the revised salary requirement for Seasonal Workers from 6 April 2022, as set out in Statement of Changes HC 1118 (published on 15 March 2022); other minor housekeeping changes.

  16. Updated guidance includes: pork butchers and haulage drivers are no longer able to apply on this route; this has been noted throughout, and reflecting the ending of the fee concession for Certificates of Sponsorship assigned to CESC nationals from 26 February 2022. For a full list of changes see the 'Changes from last version of this guidance' section.

  17. Guidance updated to correct the definition of horticulture to include pot plants.

  18. Guidance updated to add a concession for ornamental horticulture workers to access this immigration route, and other changes. Added an accessible HTML version.

  19. Updated to reflect temporary provisions to add specified pork butchers to the seasonal worker route.

  20. Guidance updated to reflect the rebranding of the T5 (Temporary Worker) Seasonal Worker route as the Temporary Work - Seasonal Worker route; and to make temporary provision for poultry production workers and workers undertaking haulage driving involving transportation of food goods.

  21. Updated guidance, expanding and clarifying the specific sponsoring duties for seasonal worker sponsors.

  22. Updated guidance to reflect scheme quota for 2021.

  23. First published.

Documents

Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a seasonal worker (accessible version)

HTML

Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a seasonal worker

PDF, 448 KB, 22 pages

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Details

Guidance for employers on how to sponsor a worker on the Seasonal Worker (Temporary Work) immigration route.

The Seasonal Worker route allows employers in the horticulture and poultry production sectors to employ overseas workers to do seasonal work through an approved scheme operator (sponsor).

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