Temporary Work visas

“Temporary Work” is a family name, not a visa — six sponsored routes (the old Tier 5) that share one shape: short fixed durations, a £340 fee, no English requirement, no Immigration Skills Charge for the sponsor, and no path to settlement. Choosing the wrong member of the family is an easy mistake to make in this corner of the system, so here is the map.

The six routes

Route	For	Maximum stay	Family
Seasonal Worker	Horticulture and poultry roles via approved scheme operators	6 months	No dependants
Creative Worker	Performers, artists, film and TV crew at industry-standard terms	12 months, extendable to 24	Yes
Charity Worker	Genuinely unpaid voluntary work for a registered charity	12 months	Yes
Religious Worker	Non-pastoral religious roles and religious-order duties	24 months (then a 12-month cooling-off)	Yes
Government Authorised Exchange	Approved internships, research and training schemes	12–24 months by scheme	Yes
International Agreement	Work covered by international law (e.g. private servants in diplomatic households, treaty-based work)	Varies	Yes

The common mechanics

Every route needs a Certificate of Sponsorship tying you to the specific role — for Seasonal Worker, only a small panel of approved scheme operators can sponsor, and individual farms cannot. You show £1,270 in funds unless the sponsor certifies your maintenance. Supplementary work is limited (Creative Workers, for instance, may add up to 20 hours a week in the same field); the Seasonal route allows no second job at all.

The strategic point

Time on these routes builds nothing towards ILR. They are excellent for what they are — a season, a tour, a placement — and a trap if treated as a foothold: switching in-country to settlement routes is restricted (Seasonal Workers cannot switch at all). If your real goal is to stay, start from Skilled Worker or another settlement-bearing route (from 29 October 2026 the sponsor must show an affiliation with the worker’s faith organisation instead of advertising the role); if a pastoral religious role is the goal, the separate Minister of Religion route leads to settlement where this family does not.