The UK government has confirmed the Seasonal Worker visa route for 2025, offering 43,000 horticulture and 2,000 poultry visas, providing certainty for growers and producers.
The UK government has announced that foreign temporary workers will receive 45,000 visas in 2025 under the Seasonal Worker route. Back in May 2024, the Seasonal Worker visa route was extended by the UK government for five years, until 2029. This decision was made “to give businesses time to plan effectively, to invest in automation and move away from a reliance on migrant labor.”
The UK government has confirmed the Seasonal Worker visa route for 2025, offering 43,000 horticulture visas and 2,000 poultry visas for the horticulture and poultry sectors. The confirmation of the seasonal worker visa allocation for 2025 provides growers and producers with certainty, enabling them to plan ahead and secure the necessary labor for their growth.
The UK government is addressing labour shortages in the food supply chain by funding technology to reduce migrant labor reliance and providing clarity for UK farms and businesses.
Other measures include up to £50 million of further funding for new technology to support fully automated packhouses and more support to follow to bring robotic crop pickers on a par with human pickers in three to five years.
You need to apply for poultry Seasonal Worker visas by 15 November each year. You can apply for horticulture Seasonal Worker visas at any time of year.
You’ll need to have a sponsor and meet the other eligibility requirements. This visa has replaced the Temporary Worker – Seasonal Worker visa (T5).
One can apply for a Seasonal Worker visa to come to the UK and work in:
Horticulture for up to 6 months – for example, picking fruit and vegetables or flowers
Poultry from 2 October to 31 December, in the same year