Menu
Skip to content If you want to conduct temporary charity work in the UK, you may be eligible for a Charity Worker Visa UK. Discover more about the requirements.
Call our immigration professionals at 02033844389 if you need help applying for a Charity Visa UK.
"*" indicates required fields
Individuals who wish to volunteer in the UK for up to 12 months can apply for a charity worker visa (temporary work).
While the UK Charity Worker Visa is not a route to permanent residency, your partner and children can apply as dependants.
While holding a Charity Worker Visa UK, you have the flexibility to undertake unpaid charity work for your sponsor, pursue studies, and take on a second job. However, the second job must align with either the same sector as your primary job or a role listed on the Shortage Occupation List, eliminating the need for an additional worker visa.
UK Visas & Immigration requires the following requirements in order to grant you a Charity Worker Visa UK:
If you want to enter the UK through this route, you must apply for a visa from outside the UK. To apply for this route or the Religious Worker route, you must not have been granted permission on these routes within the 12 months immediately prior to your application unless you can prove that you were not in the UK during this time.
You may have to meet different requirements depending on your situation. To ensure that any mistakes can be identified, and a solid strategy can be developed and implemented, you must seek professional advice and guidance as soon as possible.
The work you plan to do must meet three criteria to qualify as charity work under the Charity Worker Visa UK.
Your fieldwork must first directly contribute to the charitable purpose of your sponsor. There are activities that do not normally require payment for wages or salaries included in this category. These positions do not include routine administrative, retail, or fund-raising tasks.
Furthermore, the work can’t be remunerated or paid, unless you are remunerated for reasonable expenses incurred in the course of your duties.
Last but not least, you must not be attempting to fill a permanent position (even temporarily).
If you have not been in the UK with permission for more than 12 months, you will not be eligible for a UK charity work visa unless you have held funds equal to at least £1,270 continuously for at least 28 consecutive days within the 31 days preceding your application.
Additionally, your sponsor can satisfy this requirement by confirming on the Certificate of Sponsorship that they will maintain you and provide you with accommodation for at least £1,270 for the first month of your stay in the UK.
In the case of applicants with dependents, they will also need to demonstrate that they can support themselves. The financial levels are £285 per partner, £315 per child, and £200 per additional child.
Charity Worker visas require a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from an A-rated Home Office licensed sponsor (except if you are applying for an extension to work for the same employer as when you were last granted leave to remain). Under the Charity Worker route, your sponsor must be a Home Office-approved sponsor.
The certificate must confirm that the role you intend to perform meets the voluntary work requirements. It must not have already been used in a successful or unsuccessful application.
There must be at least three months between the sponsorship and the application date on the Certificate of Sponsorship. From the date it is assigned to you, the Certificate will be valid for 3 months. After this date, your application may be rejected for a Charity Work Visa UK. After being assigned, the Sponsorship Certificate cannot be withdrawn or revoked.
Application for a charity worker visa (temporary work) can be made online. To apply, you will have to pay the healthcare surcharge.
Currently, a Charity Worker Visa UK costs £244. You must each submit an application and pay the fee separately if you are applying with dependents. Your application fee is automatically reduced by £55 if you are from:
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden or Turkey.
You must apply before your current Temporary Work – Charity Worker visa expires if you wish to extend your stay.
If you apply from outside the UK, you should get a decision within three weeks.
You will be able to enter and remain in the UK for up to 12 months if you have an approved Temporary Work – Charity Worker Visa, or for the period on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is shorter. The UK will allow you to enter up to 14 days before the start of your job.
Volunteering with other organizations is allowed, but you can only work in the role for which you are sponsored. If you qualify for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate, you will be able to study.
Each charity worker applying for a Charity Worker Visa must also present a portfolio of supporting evidence and a number of documents to prove they can fulfil the visa criteria. These are the requirements set by the Home Office.
To apply for a Charity Worker Visa, you must provide the following documents:
Documents proving your relationships with any dependent family you wish to bring to the UK on the Charity Worker visa, such as marriage certificates or children’s birth certificates, must also be submitted.
Certain family members of temporary workers are eligible to accompany them to the UK on their visa. The following relatives are eligible to join you on a Temporary Worker Charity Visa:
To qualify as your dependents, they need to provide evidence of a relationship with you and financial stability to cover their expenses in the UK. As a minimum, you must prove that there is:
UK Immigration Solicitors is one of the best immigration lawyers in London. We have extensive expertise in all aspects of UK visa processing, including initial applications, renewals, and extensions. What we can do is:
Most of the time, a child needs a visa in order to live in the UK. For instance, if their parent is a foreign national working or studying in the country, the child may need a Child Dependant Visa.
There is a £298 application cost for the charity worker route of the Temporary Worker visa. Also, there is an additional tax of £1,035 each year known as the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge that must be paid on top of the visa application cost.
All members of your immediate family who are applying for a visa or an immigration healthcare surcharge must also pay the full amount.
You are still required to have a visa in order to volunteer in the UK. Visitors from countries that have an agreement with the UK to waive visa requirements can stay for up to six months for tourism and certain business related activities.
You can apply for a Charity Visa UK if your volunteer work is unpaid. However, if you get payment while in the UK, you will not be eligible for this visa and will need to apply for another sort of work visa, like the Skilled Worker Visa.
An extension of your Charity Worker Visa may be possible in certain cases. You are only eligible to apply for a visa extension if your current stay does not exceed the 12-month maximum. You are eligible to apply for a 12-month extension if your visa was originally granted for a shorter duration.
A different visa is required for stays in the UK exceeding twelve months.
Individuals sponsored by a UK charity can perform unpaid volunteer work in the UK while holding a Charity Worker Visa. Further, temporary workers are allowed to work in the UK for a second job so long as it is in the same industry or for a position on the Shortage Occupation List, or if both jobs are mentioned on the sponsorship certificate. Charity worker visa holders are required to perform all work without compensation.
You can study in the UK while working as a temporary worker, though some courses may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme accreditation.
Inline form for homepage
"*" indicates required fields
