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Charity Worker Visa UK

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.

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What is Charity Worker Visa UK?

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 Charity Visa Requirements

UK Visas & Immigration requires the following requirements in order to grant you a Charity Worker Visa UK:

  • You are at least 18 years old:
  • You meet the specified requirements for the charity work:
  • Also, your sponsorship certificate is valid:
  • The role for which you are being sponsored is one you truly intend to undertake, and you have the ability to do so:
  • The role for which you are being sponsored is one you truly intend to undertake, and you can do so:
  • You meet the financial requirements
  • In the last year, you did not have permission to be a Religious Worker or Charity Worker (unless you were out of the UK throughout)
  • your application did not fall under the general grounds for refusal
  • If required, you have provided a TB certificate.

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.

UK Charity Visa Requirements
Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

What Jobs Are Eligible for the Temporary Work?

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).

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

What is the financial requirement for the Temporary Work?

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.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

What is the Certificate of Sponsor (CoS) Requirement?

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.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

What is the application process for the Temporary Work?

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.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

What Conditions Apply to the Temporary Work?

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.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

What documents Are Required for a UK Charity Work Visa Apply Online?

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:

  • Travel documents that are both legitimate and issued by the country’s government
  • Your sponsorship certificate’s reference number
  • Bank statements or other proof that you have sufficient funds to cover your expenses in the UK
  • Your tuberculosis test results if you are coming from a place that needs them.

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.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Bringing Family Members to the UK

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:

  • Civil partners, spouses, and partners who are not married
  • Children below the age of 18
  • Dependent children who are 18 years old or older and are currently residing in the UK
  • You can apply for a separate visa for any dependent relatives who want to join you in the UK online.

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:

  • £285 for you and your partner.
  • £315 for every child
Charity Worker Visa UK
Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

How Can UK Immigration Solicitors UK help?

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:

  • Make sure you meet the requirements for a charity worker visa UK.
  • Describe your other immigration choices (such as family, business, or settlement visas).
  • Verify that you and your family’s immigration status is safe.
  • Help with the refusal of your Carity Worker visa renewal application.