VisaUK poultry seasonal visa applications close on 15 November
The annual deadline applies to sponsored poultry roles. Applicants should check their job code, sponsorship reference and financial evidence before filing.
Official source date: 2026-11-12
Last verified against linked sources:
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Check whether the deadline applies to your job
People applying from outside the UK for a Seasonal Worker visa for a sponsored poultry production job must submit their applications by 15 November 2026. The Immigration Rules say the filing date must be on or before 15 November each year for that sector. You must be at least 18. Check the sector and job details on the sponsorship record before opening the application. The deadline is for poultry and the Home Office’s general route page lists horticulture applications separately.
The visa overview gives a poultry work season of 2 October to 31 December. The date on the sponsorship record tells you when the work is due to start. Even if a visa is granted near the end of the season, the calendar still limits poultry permission. A partner or child cannot apply as an accompanying dependant under the ordinary Seasonal Worker route. Check the actual dates and conditions on the decision before booking travel.
Check the sponsor and the occupation code
The government’s seasonal farm work guidance lists the approved scheme operators and identifies RE Recruitment as poultry only. The operator sponsors the worker for immigration purposes and the job may be at a separate business. Use the operator’s details from the official list. The guidance says a worker pays the visa application and travel costs, while the sponsorship certificate is supplied without a charge to the worker. A request for a payment in exchange for sponsorship is a reason to verify the offer through the approved operator.
Use the Seasonal Worker appendix to check the occupation code and pay. For example, a poultry processor is listed under code 5433, which requires at least GBP 15.88 an hour and GBP 38,700 a year. For eligible poultry roles under codes 8111, 9111, 9119 and 9132, the rule requires at least GBP 12.71 an hour and at least 32 hours of pay each week. Ask the operator to confirm which code and pay terms it has entered if the offer describes the role only as seasonal work.
Gather your reference, funds and identity evidence
The eligibility page explains that the certificate of sponsorship is an electronic reference. It can be used once and is valid for three months from assignment. Check the assignment date before applying and use the reference exactly as provided. The 15 November deadline still governs a poultry application even when a recently issued reference remains valid after that date.
Applicants normally need GBP 1,270 in available funds for 28 consecutive days, with the last day falling within 31 days of application. A sponsor that will cover first-month maintenance can certify it on the sponsorship record. Check that field with your sponsor before relying on it. Use the documents page for the passport or other identity document, financial evidence if needed, and certified translations for supporting documents outside English or Welsh.
File online and complete the identity steps
Use the Seasonal Worker application link on GOV.UK and pay the GBP 340 application charge. The apply page explains how applicants are directed to verify their identity, either through the specified app if eligible or at a visa application centre for a photo and fingerprints. Check the instructions generated for your passport and location. If an appointment is required, allow time to reach the centre and keep the application confirmation with the appointment details.
The Home Office’s 12 November statistics report counted 41,800 Seasonal Worker visa applications across poultry and horticulture in the year ending October 2026. That is an application count for both sectors. The caseworker guidance separately identifies 1,900 places reserved for poultry in 2026. Neither figure shows how many places a particular operator still has available, so check your own sponsorship rather than relying on the national figures.
