Recruiting Non-UK Staff For Agricultural Work
21 July 2026The 2025 changes and what they mean for agricultural businesses
A points-based immigration system for anyone coming to the UK to work has existed since 2021. This brought with it a requirement to apply for a visa and meet a specific set of requirements. In July 2025, there were further changes to the system which will impact on agricultural workers. The options for agricultural businesses to employ from out with the UK have reduced significantly since these 2025 changes and it is important that employers are clear on the lack of job roles which are now eligible.
The Changes and their Impacts
The number of jobs that are eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship has been reduced. Previously agricultural employees could be sponsored via a skilled worker visa providing their individual job role was at farm manager level rather than farm labourer level. Farm labourers or farm workers have been ineligible for sponsorship since the initial rule changes in 2021.
The farm manager role fell into the medium skilled job category. The thresholds of what jobs can be sponsored through the Skilled Worker Visa became stricter as part of the 2025 changes and medium skilled jobs are generally no longer eligible under the Skilled Workers Visa Scheme. This change has resulted in the removal of 180 job roles from the skilled worker visa route.
Exceptions
The only exceptions to the above are where the job role appears on the temporary shortage or immigration salary list. Agricultural jobs have never been considered on the temporary shortage list since the rules changed back in 2021, The only jobs that appear on these lists are specific to the fishing industry so this is a not a route that can be used to get workers into farming businesses.
For clarity, there will be no route for businesses to recruit low or medium skilled farm workers into agriculture via the Skilled Worker Visa.
Which Jobs can be Sponsored via the Skilled Worker Visa Route?
The only job that is eligible under the Skilled Worker Visa and references agriculture is agricultural scientist. If your business needs are quite specific and an agricultural scientist is required within your business, you can follow the following steps to apply to be a sponsor.
To be eligible, the job being applied for must meet the minimum salary for the type of work they’ll be doing. This is classed as whichever is the highest of the two options below:
- £41,700 per year
- The ‘going rate’ for the type of work they’ll be doing
How To Become a Sponsor
- Check that your business is eligible. The only things that would make you ineligible are unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences/certain other crimes or if you have had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months.
- Select which licence you wish to apply for.
- Select the people who will manage the sponsorship management system within your business
- Apply online and pay the appropriate fee.
| Type of Licence | Small businesses | Medium sized businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Worker licence (skilled) | £611 | £1,682 |
If you already hold a sponsor licence, then there is no need to re-apply. The application process detailed above is for those who have not held a sponsor licence in the past. However, those currently with sponsor licences would be advised to check the expiry date on them.
Once a business has been awarded a sponsor licence, they can then assign a certificate of sponsorship to the agricultural scientist they are looking to hire. This is an electronic record which they can use to apply for a visa. A certificate of sponsorship for a worker costs £525.
Certificates are free for citizens of the following countries:
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.
The job role of Agricultural Scientist falls under the biological scientists’ job category and businesses employing under the 2112 job code do not need to pay the immigration skills charge.
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