UK Seasonal Worker Visa From Pakistan: 41,000 Farm Places in 2027 and Only 6 Licensed Operators
The UK kept its Seasonal Worker quota at 42,900 for 2027. Only 6 operators can sponsor. The £340 fee, £12.71 hourly pay rule and how Pakistanis check an offer.
The UK has confirmed 42,900 Seasonal Worker visas for 2027: 41,000 for fruit, vegetable and flower farms and 1,900 for poultry. Pakistanis are not excluded, but every place goes through a licensed scheme operator. When we downloaded the UK sponsor register on 9 October 2026, it listed only six of them.
The Home Office added the 2027 figures to its seasonal worker sponsor guidance on 8 October 2026. The numbers are unchanged from 2026. For a Pakistani worker, that sets a simple test. A UK farm job is only real if it comes through one of the six operators named below.
The UK kept the Seasonal Worker quota at 42,900 for 2027
The guidance splits the quota between two sectors. Each place can only be used for a worker whose certificate of sponsorship starts in that year.
| Sector | 2026 quota | 2027 quota | Length of stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horticulture (picking fruit, vegetables, flowers) | 41,000 | 41,000 | Up to 6 months |
| Poultry production | 1,900 | 1,900 | 2 October to 31 December |
| Total | 42,900 | 42,900 |
The Home Office sets the quota and divides it between the scheme operators. An operator cannot go over its share. So a recruiter who says it has "extra UK farm visas" outside the scheme is describing something the rules do not allow.
Only six operators can sponsor UK seasonal farm workers
We downloaded the UK government's register of licensed worker sponsors, dated 9 October 2026, and filtered it for the Seasonal Worker route. It has 143,206 entries in total. Six are for seasonal work.
- AGRI-HR Ltd., Corwen, Denbighshire
- Concordia (UK) Ltd, Brighton, East Sussex
- Fruitful Jobs Ltd, Harewood End, Herefordshire
- HOPS Labour Solutions Ltd, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire
- Pro-Force Limited, Canterbury, Kent
- RE Recruitment (a trading division of Taskmaster Resources Limited), Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
All six hold an A rating. Farms do not sponsor seasonal workers themselves. The guidance says an operator cannot use the route to hire its own staff, and cannot pass workers to an employment agency or similar middleman.
We did not find which of the six recruit in Pakistan, and the register does not say. If a job offer names a company that is not one of these six, it is not a Seasonal Worker visa.
What a Seasonal Worker visa costs and pays
The visa fee is £340, and you need £1,270 in savings unless your sponsor certifies your maintenance. The farm must pay at least £12.71 an hour for at least 32 hours a week.
- Visa fee: £340, on gov.uk.
- Savings: £1,270, held for 28 days in a row, unless the certificate of sponsorship says the sponsor covers it.
- Pay: at least £12.71 an hour and at least 32 paid hours a week for horticulture and the main poultry roles.
- Decision: usually within 3 weeks of applying and giving biometrics.
- Family: you cannot bring family members.
Some fees are banned outright. For certificates assigned on or after 9 April 2025, the operator must not recover the certificate fee from the worker "by any means". It also must not add charges beyond the cost of running the scheme. Your work equipment must be free.
How to check a UK farm job offer from Pakistan
A genuine offer starts with a certificate of sponsorship from one of the six operators. Everything else follows from that reference number.
- Match the sponsor. The company must be one of the six above. Download the latest register from gov.uk and search for the name.
- Ask for the CoS number. It is a reference number, not a paper. It is valid for 3 months and can be used once.
- Check the pay line. At least £12.71 an hour and 32 hours a week. Lower means the visa will be refused.
- Ask for the contract in Urdu and English. The guidance requires a contract in the worker's first language as well as English. Zero-hours contracts are not allowed.
- Refuse any "CoS fee". Paying it is your sign that something is wrong.
- Apply yourself on gov.uk, up to 3 months before the start date.
On Pakistan's side, a licensed promoter is the only lawful middleman for a foreign job. Check any agent with the Bureau of Emigration's list of overseas employment promoters and get emigrant protection before you fly. Pakistan has already raised fake student visas with the UK and Poland this month. Fake foreign job offers have also led to arrests at home, as in the Karachi Canada work visa scam.
The Seasonal Worker visa is not a route to settle
The visa covers one job for one season. You cannot take a permanent job, a second job, or claim public funds. Horticulture workers must also be out of the UK seasonal scheme for 4 months before their next certificate start date, or the application is refused.
For a long-term job the route is the UK Skilled Worker visa, which has a much higher salary floor and a different, far larger list of sponsors. Do not let anyone sell a seasonal visa as the first step to that one.
Common questions
Can Pakistanis apply for the UK Seasonal Worker visa?
Yes. The gov.uk eligibility rules have no nationality condition. You need a certificate of sponsorship from a licensed scheme operator, £1,270 in savings, and you must be 18 or over.
How many UK Seasonal Worker visas are there in 2027?
42,900. The Home Office guidance updated on 8 October 2026 sets 41,000 for horticulture and 1,900 for poultry.
What is the UK Seasonal Worker visa fee?
£340, according to gov.uk.
Can I pay for my certificate of sponsorship?
No. The operator pays the CoS fee and must not recover it from you by any means.
How long can I stay on a Seasonal Worker visa?
Up to 6 months for horticulture. Poultry visas run from 2 October to 31 December.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 9 October 2026. The quota, operator rules, pay rates and fee bans are from the Home Office guidance "Sponsor a seasonal worker", updated 8 October 2026. The six operators come from our own filter of the register of licensed sponsors dated 9 October 2026. The fee, savings, stay and decision times are from the gov.uk Seasonal Worker visa pages. The register changes daily, so check it again on the day you apply.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
