The UK Charity Worker Visa allows applicants to undertake unpaid voluntary work for a recognised charitable organisation in the UK for a temporary period. Get expert guidance from Visa and Migration for UK Charity Worker visa eligibility and application process today.
The Charity Worker route, which has replaced the previous T5 Charity Worker (Temporary Worker) visa, is for a foreign national (including most EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals who came to the UK after 31 December) wishing to come to the UK to do voluntary work for a charitable organisation for up to 12 months.
The applicant cannot be a ‘settled worker’ or not otherwise have immigration permission to work a sponsor in the UK.
A partner and/or children of the Charity Worker can apply as dependants on this route.
The Charity Worker visa is not a route to Indefinite Leave To Remain or settlement in the UK.
Please note that foreign nationals in the UK as Standard Visitors can do volunteering for no more than 30 days in total while visiting the UK, provided it is for a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the CCNI (Charity Commission for Northern Ireland), or the OSCR (Scottish Charity Regulator).
People entering the UK as visitors to do volunteering cannot switch to the Charity Worker route from within the UK. If the employer wants to sponsor such an individual on the Charity Worker route, that person will have to leave the UK and apply for entry clearance.
The applicant on this route can only be sponsored to do voluntary fieldwork directly related to the purpose of the sponsor’s charity. This means activities which:
are not paid or otherwise remunerated, including benefits in kind, other than reasonable expenses and accommodation as is reasonable in the circumstances, and as defined by the National Minimum Wage Act 1998; and
contribute directly to achieving or advancing the sponsor’s charitable purpose; and
where relevant, comply with the NMW (National Minimum Wage) and the WTR (Working Time Regulations)
The Charity Worker route cannot be used to sponsor workers who will be doing primarily routine activities, such as back-office administrative, retail or other sales roles, fundraising, or maintenance of the sponsor’s offices and other assets
This route is not to sponsor workers to fill a permanent vacancy.
The applicant applying to obtain entry clearance to the UK or permission to stay here as a Charity Worker must apply online on gov.uk using the specified application form.
EEA (European Economic Area) nationals with a chipped passport (also called an e-passport or biometric passport) will have to apply as a temporary worker using the "UK Immigration: ID Check” app or the “Temporary Worker visa” form, if they apply from outside the UK, or “Temporary Worker’ form, if they apply from inside the UK.
Other applicants applying from outside the UK will have to apply using the “Temporary Worker visa” form, and applicants applying from inside the UK will have to apply using the form “Temporary Worker”.
An application for obtaining entry clearance or permission to stay as a Charity Worker must meet all the following requirements:
(a) The applicant must be 18 or over at the time of their application.
Any visa application fee and IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge) must have been paid;
(b) The applicant must have enrolled their biometric information when required.
(c) The applicant must have given a valid passport/other travel document to establish their nationality and identity;
(d) The applicant must have a CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) issued to them no more than 3 months before the date of their application;
Those applying for permission to stay must fulfil the above conditions plus the following:
(a) They must be in the UK at the time of application.
(b) They must have, or have last had, permission as a Charity Worker.
An application that fails to fulfil all the validity requirements for the Charity Worker route (mentioned above) may be rejected as invalid and not considered.
The applicant must not fall for refusal under the Immigration Rules - Part Suitability.
Those applying for permission to stay must not be:
(a) in breach of UK immigration laws, except that where the section called “Exceptions for overstayers” under the Immigration Rules - Part Suitability applies; or
(b) on immigration bail.
The applicant will need to have all of the following in order to be eligible for the Charity Worker route:
have a CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) reference number
unless exempt, they must have sufficient money (at least £1,270) available to support themselves in the UK
Those given a Charity Worker or Religious Worker visa (including their predecessor routes) in the last year cannot get entry clearance as a Charity Worker, unless they can show they were outside the UK for the whole of that time.
For an entry clearance or permission to stay application, the UKVI must be satisfied that the applicant:
genuinely intends to undertake the role described on the CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) and is capable of undertaking this role described on the CoS
has no intention to undertake employment other than in the role their sponsor is sponsoring them for, or as otherwise permitted within the conditions of the grant
The applicant must have got CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) from their employer, who must be an approved A- rated sponsor, unless they were last given permission as a Charity Worker in the UK and are applying to continue working for the same sponsor as in their last permission.
CoS is a reference number that holds information about the job offered to the applicant (for example, job start date, working hours, and the salary) and their personal details.
The sponsor must ensure the role offered to the Charity Worker:
(a) is voluntary fieldwork which contributes directly to the achievement or advancement of their charitable purpose; and
(b) must be voluntary work and not be paid or otherwise remunerated, including any benefits in kind, except for reasonable expenses and the provision of accommodation as is reasonable in the circumstances as defined in the NMW (National Minimum Wage Act) 1988; and
(c) is not a permanent position, including temporarily.
The applicant will need their CoS reference number from their employer. This reference number needs to be added to the Charity Worker visa application form. The applicant can only use it once.
A CoS stays valid for 3 months from the date it is assigned to the applicant.
The applicant must have £1,270 or more (held for a 28-day period) on the date of application, or their sponsor must confirm on the CoS that they will, if it is necessary, maintain and accommodate the applicant for the first month of their employment for the amount of £1,270 or more.
Those who, on the day they apply, have been residing in the UK with a valid UK visa for at least 12 months are not required to show proof of this fund.
The sponsor must not offer the Charity Worker any pay or remuneration, including benefits in kind, other than reasonable expenses and accommodation as is reasonable in the circumstances, and as defined by section 44 of the NMW (National Minimum Wage) Act 1998.
If decision makers find that the sponsor is paying or remunerating the worker otherwise than in accordance with the National Minimum Wage Act – Section 44, they will revoke the employer's sponsor licence.
The job role the worker is being sponsored for must comply with the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015 as well as the Working Time Regulations 1998 to the extent either of these regulations applies.
Any application for entry clearance to the UK or permission to stay here as a Charity Worker will be refused where the decision maker has reasonable grounds to believe the role does not.
They will also consider revoking the employer’s sponsor licence if they find the employer is breaching these regulations.
The applicant will be required to provide:
Their CoS reference number – this will be given by their sponsor
Their valid passport (with a blank page in it) or other travel document showing their identity and nationality
Evidence such as bank statements that shows the applicant has sufficient savings to support themselves in the UK (unless their CoS shows their employer/sponsor can support them)
Proof of their TB (Tuberculosis) test results if they are from a country where they have to take this test
The applicant may be asked to give additional documents by the UKVI.
Any documents that are not in English or Welsh must be submitted with a certified translation.
The applicant must apply online, and no more than 3 months before the day they are due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on their CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship).
They will have to prove their identity as part of their Charity Worker visa application. Depending on where they are from and what type of passport they hold they will have their biometric information (fingerprints and facial photograph) taken at a VAC (Visa Application Centre) or they can use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan their identity document – they will also create their UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account or sign into their existing UKVI account.
On the appointment date, the applicant will need to carry their passport to the VAC. They will be able to collect it the same day.
The applicant will need to pay the visa application fee of £319 and an immigration health charge, which is usually £1,035 per year.
The applicant can upload their documents along with their online application or have them scanned at the VAC (if attending an appointment to enrol their biometrics).
The applicant must apply online from within the UK before their current Charity Worker visa expires.
The applicant must apply again if they wish to change their job either within the same organisation or move to a new organisation.
They will have to prove their identity as part of their Charity Worker visa application. Depending on where they are from and what type of passport they hold, they will have their biometric information (fingerprints and facial photograph) taken at a UKVCAS (UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service) service point or they can use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan their identity document – they will also create their UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account or sign into their existing UKVI account.
The applicant will need to pay the visa application fee of £319 and an immigration health charge, which is usually £1,035 per year.
The applicant can upload their documents along with their online application or have them scanned at the UKVCAS (if attending an appointment to enrol their biometrics).
After having applied online, proving identity, and providing the documents, the applicant will normally get a decision on their application for entry clearance within 3 weeks, and those who have applied for their Charity Worker visa extension will normally get a decision within 8 weeks.
If the application is complex and will take longer, UKVI will contact the applicant, for example, because:
UKVI needs to verify the documents of the applicant
The applicant is required to attend an interview
Of the applicant’s personal circumstances (for example, if they have a criminal conviction)
If the decision maker is completely satisfied that the applicant has fulfilled all the suitability and eligibility criteria for a Charity Worker route, the application will be approved; otherwise, the application will be refused.
The applicant can come to the UK for up to 12 months, or the time stated in their CoS plus up to 28 days (14 days before plus 14 days after), whichever is shorter.
If the applicant is applying for an extension of their Charity Worker visa and they are granted the permission, they can stay in the UK for a period of the job stated on their CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) plus 14 days, or the difference between the period they have already spent in the UK since their last grant of permission as a Charity Worker and 12 months, whichever is shorter.
A Charity Worker's partner (husband/wife or civil partner) and children (aged under 18 - including if they were born in the UK during the worker’s stay in the UK or children aged over 18 if they currently have permission (‘leave to enter’ or ‘remain’) to be in the UK as the worker’s dependant), if they are eligible, can also apply to join them (entry clearance) or stay (permission to stay) in the UK as their ‘dependants’.
The Charity Worker must give documentary evidence of their relationship with their dependent partner and dependent children. For example, a marriage/civil partnership certificate for the partner and a birth certificate for a child.
Upon approval of the visa application as a Charity Worker’s dependent partner and dependent child, their visa will usually end on the same date as the primary applicant (the Charity Worker). A child’s visa will end on the earlier date if their parents' visa expiry dates are different.
The partner and children applying as dependents must also have a required amount of money to support themselves in the UK.
The applicant - or their partner or child - will need:
£285 for their partner
£315 for one child
£200 for each additional child
Our business immigration lawyers have expertise and experience in assisting UK-based charitable organisations looking to sponsor migrant workers and applicants applying for the Charity Worker route.
If you are an employer/sponsor, we can help you with applying for and obtaining a Temporary Worker sponsor licence for employing/sponsoring a Charity Worker, and if you are already an approved sponsor, we make sure that you offer and eligible job, conduct the right-to-work check before starting the employment, and fulfil your other sponsor duties before, during, and after sponsoring a Charity Worker to maintain your A-rating and ability to assign further CoS
On the other hand, if you are a foreign national looking to apply on the Charity Worker route, we help in assessing and ensuring you fulfil the eligibility and suitability requirements for this visa, make a valid application, meet your job’s start date, provide the necessary documents, and ensure that any visa refusal is handled appropriately.
For expert advice and queries, you can call us at +44 (0)20 3411 1261 or write at info@visaandmigration.com
This is a temporary UK visa allowing overseas workers to live and work in the UK to do voluntary work for a charitable organisation.
You can come to the UK for up to 12 months, or the time mentioned in your CoS plus up to 28 days, whichever is shorter.
No, switching to this route from within the UK is not allowed.
Yes, you can, if you are eligible.
Yes, but your job must be in the same sector at the same level as your main job for up to 20 hours per week.
Yes, you can bring your partner and/or children on this route.
Usually, it takes about 3 weeks after the application submission from outside the UK and 8 weeks after the submission from within the UK.
Yes, you may get a faster decision by using ‘priority’ or ‘super priority’ service.
No, you must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands before you get a decision. Doing so will result in your application being refused.
You can apply for an administrative review.
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