UK Temporary Worker visas

How the Temporary Worker category works

"Temporary Worker" is not a single visa. It is a group of distinct routes that share the same basic machinery: an applicant needs an offer of work or a placement from a UK organisation, that organisation must hold a sponsor licence for the correct route, and it issues a certificate of sponsorship. The applicant then applies online, pays the fee and the healthcare surcharge, proves their identity and provides supporting documents.

The routes differ in who can sponsor, what work is allowed, and how long the visa lasts. The sections below summarise each of the five routes covered by this page. Applicants should confirm the precise rules against the specific gov.uk route page before applying, because conditions differ from route to route.

• Creative Worker - for the creative industries (actors, dancers, musicians, film and production crew and similar).
• Charity Worker - for unpaid voluntary work for a UK charity.
• Religious Worker - for non-pastoral religious work or work within a religious order.
• Government Authorised Exchange - for work experience, training, an Overseas Government Language Programme, research or a fellowship, through an approved scheme.
• International Agreement - for work covered by international law or a treaty, including certain overseas-government and international-organisation staff and private servants in diplomatic households.

Creative Worker visa

The Creative Worker visa is for people coming to do creative work in the UK, such as performers and the crews who support them. Applicants must have a certificate of sponsorship from a licensed sponsor and meet the financial requirement.

• Maximum stay: up to 12 months, or the time on the certificate of sponsorship plus up to 28 days, whichever is shorter.
• Applicants can usually enter the UK up to 14 days before the start date on the certificate.
• Permitted: work for the sponsor, study (some courses need clearance), and limited secondary work of up to 20 hours a week in the same sector and at the same level, or in a job on the Skilled Worker eligible occupation list.
• Not permitted: claiming public funds.
• Dependants (partner and children) may be able to come or stay if eligible.

Charity Worker visa

The Charity Worker visa is for unpaid voluntary work for a UK charity. The key feature is that the work must be genuinely voluntary - applicants must not receive payment for it (reasonable expenses may be a separate matter set out in guidance). A certificate of sponsorship from a licensed sponsor is required.

• Maximum stay: up to 12 months, or the time on the certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is shorter.
• Applicants can usually enter up to 14 days before the start date.
• Permitted: the voluntary work for the sponsor, study (some courses need clearance), and limited secondary work of up to 20 hours a week in the same sector and level.
• Not permitted: receiving payment for the work, taking a permanent job, or claiming public funds.

Religious Worker visa

The Religious Worker visa is for non-pastoral religious work - for example, supporting the activities of a religious organisation or working within a religious order. It is distinct from the Minister of Religion visa, which is a separate (T2) route for people taking pastoral or leadership roles. A certificate of sponsorship from a licensed sponsor is required.

• Maximum stay: up to 24 months, or up to 28 days more than the time on the certificate of sponsorship.
• Applicants can usually enter up to 14 days before the start date.
• Permitted: work for the sponsor, study (some courses need clearance), and limited secondary work of up to 20 hours a week.
• Not permitted: claiming public funds.
• If the role is pastoral or a senior ministry position, the Minister of Religion route may be the correct one instead.

Government Authorised Exchange visa

The Government Authorised Exchange visa is for people coming through an approved exchange scheme to gain work experience, undertake training, take part in an Overseas Government Language Programme, or do research or a fellowship. It is meant to share knowledge and experience, not to fill ordinary jobs. The sponsor is typically an approved scheme operator, a higher education institution, or a government department, and it provides a sponsor reference number.

The length of stay depends on the specific scheme: some schemes allow a maximum of 12 months and others up to 24 months. Applicants should check the maximum for their particular scheme.

• Maximum stay: 12 or 24 months depending on the scheme.
• Applications can generally be made up to 3 months before the placement start date; entry is usually allowed up to 14 days before the start date.
• Permitted: the sponsored placement, study (some courses may need ATAS clearance), and limited secondary work of up to 20 hours a week.
• Not permitted: taking a permanent job or claiming public funds.
• Dependants may be able to come or stay if eligible.

International Agreement visa

The International Agreement visa is for work covered by international law or a treaty. It is used, for example, by employees of overseas governments, staff of recognised international organisations, and private servants in a diplomatic household. It also covers certain contractual service work under international trade commitments. A certificate of sponsorship from a licensed sponsor is required.

• Overseas-government and international-organisation workers: up to 2 years, or the time on the certificate plus 14 days, whichever is shorter.
• Private servants in a diplomatic household: up to 5 years overall, applied for in periods of up to 2 years at a time (or the certificate duration plus 14 days, whichever is shorter).
• Permitted: work for the sponsor in the specified role, study that does not interfere, and limited secondary work of up to 20 hours a week (subject to restrictions).
• Not permitted: claiming public funds.

Costs

The core costs are broadly the same across all five routes, though applicants should confirm the exact figures on the specific route page at the time of applying.

• Application fee: £340 per person (confirmed on gov.uk for these routes).
• Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): usually £1,035 per year of the visa; this is paid as part of the application and gives access to the NHS.
• Financial (maintenance) requirement: applicants generally need to show personal savings - for the Charity Worker route, at least £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days (with day 28 no more than 31 days before applying). A licensed sponsor can instead certify on the certificate of sponsorship that it will cover the applicant's costs for the first month, up to £1,270, in which case the applicant may not need to show the savings themselves. Check the exact maintenance figure and rules on each route's eligibility page.

Documents you will need

The exact list is set out on each route's "documents you must provide" page, but applicants should typically be ready with the following.

• Certificate of sponsorship reference number from the licensed sponsor.
• A valid passport or other travel document.
• Proof of the required personal savings held for the qualifying period, unless the sponsor has certified maintenance.
• A blank page in the passport if a vignette (sticker) is issued.
• A tuberculosis test result, if the applicant is from a country where this is required.
• Any additional evidence specific to the route or the applicant's circumstances.

How to apply and processing times

Applicants apply online through gov.uk after receiving the certificate of sponsorship. As part of the application they pay the fee and the healthcare surcharge and prove their identity - either using the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app to scan the identity document, or by attending a visa application centre to give fingerprints and a photograph (biometrics). Applying from outside the UK is generally done before travelling.

Indicative processing times published by gov.uk are around 3 weeks for applications made outside the UK and around 8 weeks for applications made inside the UK. A faster decision can usually be bought for an extra fee where the service is available. These are guidelines, not guarantees.

Bringing family (dependants)

A partner and children may be able to apply as dependants where the route allows it and they meet the requirements. Each dependant normally pays their own application fee and healthcare surcharge, and dependants usually cannot claim public funds. Check the specific route's "your partner and children" page for the rules that apply.

Length of stay and extending

Each route has its own maximum length of stay, summarised in the sections above. Some routes allow an extension up to the route's overall maximum, provided the applicant still meets the requirements and the sponsorship continues. Because the rules on extending differ between routes (and some placements cannot be extended beyond a scheme's limit), applicants should check the "extend your visa" page for their specific route before relying on an extension.

Settlement (this route does not lead to it)

The Temporary Worker routes covered here are temporary by design. Time spent on them does not count toward settlement (indefinite leave to remain), and these routes do not themselves lead to permanent residence. Someone who wants to settle in the UK would normally need to move onto a different route that does lead to settlement (for example, the Skilled Worker route) and meet that route's separate requirements - which is a distinct application, not an automatic step.