UK RELIGIOUS WORKER VISA (Temporary Work – Religious Worker)

Support UK faith communities through non-pastoral roles

This route allows overseas individuals to work in supportive religious roles (non-leading, non-pastoral) for up to 24 months, extendable, with the ability to bring dependents and combine paid and supplementary roles.

Who Is This For?

You must:

• Be 18 or older
• Have a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a Home Office‑licensed religious organisation
• Perform religious-support work, not leading or preaching roles
• If outside the UK: not held this or the Charity Worker visa in the past 12 months (unless abroad)

Key Requirements

1. Certified CoS
   Issued by a licensed sponsor, valid for 3 months, with your start date within that period
2. Financial Maintenance * Show £1,270 in savings for 28 continuous days / Or have your sponsor cover your first month and confirm this in the CoS
3. Role Legitimacy
   Your duties must support religious work (e.g., in an order, administrative support), not pastoral leadership, schooling, or retail
4. Passport & TB Test
    A valid passport with a blank page, plus a TB test certificate if required
5. English Language
    No English test required for this visa

Duration & Conditions

• Stay valid for up to 24 months (or CoS length + 14 days), starting within 3 months of CoS issuance
• You can extend up to 24 months total, all from inside the UK .
• You can bring dependents (spouse/partner, under-18 children) — they apply separately.

Work & Study Rights

• Work only for your sponsoring organisation
• Take on a second job (up to 20 hours/week) similar sector & level or listed role
• Study or enrol in courses (some require separate approval)
• No access to public funds

Common Pitfalls

• Role misclassified as pastoral or leading → use Minister of Religion route instead
• Inadequate savings or missing sponsor guarantee.
• Switching from this route to another from inside the UK is not allowed.

Why Connect with a Specialist Solicitor?

We’ll pair you with a specialist UK immigration solicitor who will:

• Confirm eligibility and role suitability
• Manage CoS coordination and sponsor compliance
• Help prepare documents: finances, passport, CoS, TB test
• Guide online form submission and biometric booking
• Advise on dependent applications, visa extensions, and switching options