If you wish to apply for a UK Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa, you will need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a Home Office licensed sponsor with an ‘A-rated’ rating (unless you are applying to extend your previous period of leave to work for the same employer).  To sponsor the job under the Religious Worker route, your sponsor must be authorised by the Home Office.

If your sponsor is a religious order, the certificate of sponsorship must confirm that the role you intend to undertake meets the religious worker requirements (see further below).

The Certificate of Sponsorship must begin no more than three months before the application date and may not have been used in a previous, unsuccessful application. The certificate will be valid for three months after it has been assigned to you. After this date, you may not be eligible for a UK Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa. After being assigned, the Certificate of Sponsorship cannot be withdrawn or revoked.

People who qualify for the role of a Religious Worker in the UK are eligible to apply.

Your role as a Religious Worker must involve supporting the activities of your sponsor’s organization through religious duties performed within the organisation or directed by your sponsor.

Work that falls within the scope of a Minister of Religion is not allowed as part of your religious duties. Thus, you must not be primarily responsible for leading a congregation in performing rites and rituals of the faith and for preaching the essentials of the creed.

Pay and working conditions must be at least as good as those for settled workers in the same role, and your wage must be in compliance with or exempt from the National Minimum Wage.

You will need to have £1,270 in your bank account, held for at least 28 days, ending not more than 31 days before the date of your UK Religious Worker Visa application, unless you have resided in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months or your sponsor agrees to cover your expenses during your first month in the UK (which is confirmed on your Certificate of Sponsorship)

There is no English language requirement for the Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa.

Upon the approval of your UK Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa application, you will be permitted to enter the UK and stay for 24 months or the period of the role stated on your Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days prior to and following the role.

A successful application for a stay extension as a Religious Worker will result in an additional period of time, either equal to the difference between the time you have already spent in the UK since your last permission as a Religious Worker and 24 months or equal to the period stated on your Certificate of Sponsorship as well as 14 days after, whichever is shorter.

A Religious Worker can be sponsored for a maximum of 24 months.

You will be allowed to work in the role you are sponsored for if your UK Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa application is approved. 

A second job, as well as study (for some courses an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate is required), will be permitted (up to 20 hours per week outside the hours of your main job, provided the second job is in the same sector and on the Skilled Worker shortage occupation list).

No public funds will be available to you.

It is not possible to settle on a Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa.

However, another immigration route may be available, which can lead to indefinite leave to remain.

Within the UK, it is not possible to switch to the Religious Worker route. To apply for a Religious Worker visa, applicants must submit an application from abroad.

You must apply for a visa from outside of the UK if you are applying under the UK Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa route. In order to apply for this route or the Charity Worker route, you must not have had permission within the 12 months immediately before your application, unless you can prove that you were not in the UK at any time during that period.

The tuberculosis certificate must be valid, if required.

Currently, the application fee for a Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa is £244.

Applicants from the following countries will automatically have their application fee reduced by £55:

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.

Applications for Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visas to the UK are typically decided within 3 weeks. If the visa application centre offers a priority service, you may be able to obtain a faster decision.

Religious Workers generally receive a decision within eight weeks of submitting their extension applications. By applying through the Priority Service or the Super Priority Service, you can also receive a decision within 5 days.

Our expert legal team are highly experienced in assisting with the below services (where the option has been made available by UKVI and is considered appropriate)

New Applications – We can help you assess the merits, challenges and solutions to any issues arising whilst making a new application for the Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa.

Dependents – We can help you make a successful application for your partner or children to join you as your dependents on your Temporary Work – Religious Worker Visa.

Legal Representations – Where applicable, if you find yourself in an unusual or challenging situation and want the Home Office to take notice of your special circumstances to ensure that you are treated fairly and your rights are respected, our expert team can make both oral and written persuasive legal representations.

Challenge a Refusal – If your application has been refused, we can consider your refusal for free and advise on the best course of action.

Administrative Review – Home Office or Immigration Rules can be challenged if the decision-maker failed to follow them correctly.

Judicial Review – If your application was denied illegally, unreasonable or procedurally improperly, our immigration lawyers can apply for Judicial Review and represent you at the Judicial Review hearing.

Appeal an Unfair Decision – The decision to refuse your application may provide you with a right of appeal to the First Tier Tribunal. Our expert lawyers can advise you on and handle Appeals before the Immigration & Asylum Chamber (First Tier & Upper Tribunal)