Government announces 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas for 2025
The UK government has announced that a total of 45,000 visas will be available to temporary workers in 2025 under the Seasonal Worker route.
It comes as part of a package of measures to provide certainty and stability to employers in the horticultural and poultry sectors, both of which rely heavily on temporary workers from overseas to meet seasonal peaks in their business operations each year.
As part of the 2025 Seasonal Worker visa allocation, 43,000 visas will be available for horticulture and 2,000 will be available for poultry.
Food Security Minister Daniel Zeichner said: “This government recognises that food security is national security, and this can only be achieved by supporting food and farming businesses. Confirming the seasonal worker visa allocation for 2025 gives growers and producers certainty, allowing them to plan ahead and secure the labour they need to grow and thrive.”
Under the Seasonal Worker route, foreign nationals can apply for a visa to come to the UK for temporary work in horticulture or poultry processing. The government sets a quota for the number of visas to be allocated through the Seasonal Worker scheme, divided between several approved scheme operators.
On a Seasonal Worker visa, horticulture workers can come to the UK for up to 6 months in any 12-month period and poultry workers can come for the period between 2 October and 31 December in the same year. The route does not allow settlement, switching or dependants.
2023 Seasonal Worker Survey
As well as confirming visa numbers for 2025, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has also published the 2023 Seasonal Workers Survey report. This is an important part of Defra’s commitment to monitoring the welfare of the seasonal migrant workers who help bring home the horticulture harvest each year.
Conducted in early 2024, the survey shows that the vast majority of respondents (91%) reported a positive experience from their time in the UK and 95% expressed a desire to return.
The government said it is working with industry to improve these numbers further through its farm compliance checks to ensure sponsors are adhering to their duties, as well as welfare checks on workers and liaising with international partners to ensure seasonal workers know what work to expect before they arrive and can avoid unnecessary costs and fees.
Impact on employers
The extension of the Seasonal Worker scheme was previously confirmed by the Conservative government earlier this year. However, following the general election, the new Labour government had not confirmed whether this would be carried forward until now.
Last week’s announcement has therefore come as a relief to many horticulture and poultry businesses, allowing them to plan for the year ahead.
However, industry representatives including the National Farmers’ Union (NFU)has warned that a long-term scheme is still needed to provide certainty to the industry. The NFU has consistently campaigned for greater access to labour for food and farming businesses, pressing the critical role that seasonal workers have in the UK.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw advises that farming and growing businesses don’t just work on year-to-year production cycles, they plan their business operations years ahead. Whilst the poultry and horticulture sectors have the ambition to grow, worker availability has been a significant barrier and long-term certainty is needed to enable growth.
Support with sponsoring temporary workers from overseas
If your business intends to sponsor overseas nationals under any of the Temporary Worker routes, Smith Stone Walters can help.
We can assess your organisation’s eligibility for a Temporary Worker sponsor licence under your chosen route, support you with the licence application process and assist with submitting individual Temporary Worker visa applications thereafter.
To find out more about the tailored service we can offer your business, please contact us today.
