What is a Temporary Worker Visa, and do you need one?
If you have a job offer from an official sponsor in the UK within the creative, charity or religious sectors, an approved Government Exchange Scheme or are covered by an agreement through international law or as a seasonal worker,
Temporary Worker visas enable you to live and work in the UK. This category provides an opportunity for you to experience life in the UK on a temporary basis.
Categories of permit
Temporary Worker Certificates of Sponsorship can be issued in the following categories:
– Creative – allows entertainers and creative artists to work in the UK for up to 12 months. A creative worker is someone who works in the creative industries, for example as an actor, a dancer, a musician or as a film crew member.
– Charity worker – allows applicants to come to the UK for up to 12 months to undertake unpaid, voluntary work for a registered UK charity.
– Religious worker – allows applicants to do religious work in a non-pastoral role or religious order undertake religious work for up to 24 months.
– Government Authorised Exchange visa – allows applicants who come through approved schemes to experience ‘social’ and ‘cultural’ life in the UK for between 12 to 24 months depending on the scheme. Their post must not fill a job vacancy or be unskilled.
– International agreement – allows applicants to work in the UK for up to 24 months if they are covered by an international agreement such as the General Agreement on Trades and Services, agreements between the UK or the European Union and other countries, employees of overseas governments and international organisations and, private servants in diplomatic households.
Youth mobility visa
Applicants will be allowed to enter and work in the UK for up to 24 months if they are aged between 18-35 at the date of application and are a national of one of the following countries:
- Australia*
- Canada*
- Japan
- New Zealand*
* nationals of these countries can apply for an additional year.
Nationals in the first group with a connection from the UK and from the following countries have to be aged 18-30 at date of application:
- British Overseas citizens
- British Overseas Territories citizens
- British Overseas (citizen)
- Andorra
- Iceland
- Japan
- Monaco
- San Marino
- Uruguay
Potential applicants from:
- Hong Kong with an SAR passport
- Taiwan
must be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot before they can apply for a Youth Mobility visa.
Young Indians Professional Scheme
Indian nationals have their own ballot and must be aged 18-30 to live and work in the UK for 2 years.
– Seasonal worker visa – applicants can apply to come to the UK to work in horticulture for up to 6 months, for example in picking fruit and vegetables or flowers, or to work in poultry between 18 October and 31 December in any given year. Applicants for horticulture Seasonal Worker visas can apply for their visa at any time of year. However, applications for poultry Seasonal Worker visas must be lodged by 15 November each year.