Charity Worker Visa UK from Germany
German employers can sponsor prospective employees from Germany or any other country to work in their UK company on a charity worker visa. The employer and the employee must meet the eligibility requirements to be granted a charity worker visa.
To learn more about the UK charity worker visa, the eligibility requirements, and the application process, please speak to an immigration lawyer at Total Law at 0333 305 9375 or message us online. We are eager to provide you with appropriate guidance.
Charity Work Visa: Overview
The UK charity worker visa is a temporary worker visa that allows foreigners to work voluntarily without pay while in the UK. This type of visa can only be applied for from outside the UK.
A German employer who wants to employ workers in a UK company must use the Charity Worker visa. This visa will allow your prospective employees to reside in the UK for up to 12 months or any period stated on their certificate of sponsorship (COS).
You can sponsor a German or a foreign worker to work in your UK company, provided the UK government recognises it as a charity organisation. However, you must issue a certificate of sponsorship to a prospective employee.
If your employee decides to do paid work in the UK for the said period, they must consider one of the other UK work visas.
Page Contents
- Charity Work Visa: Overview
- Eligibility Requirements for Charity Worker Visa UK
- Sponsor Licence and Certificate of Sponsorship Requirement
- Required Documents for the Charity Worker Visa
- Apply for Charity Worker Visa UK
- Processing Time and Application Cost
- How Long Can Workers Stay in the UK on a Charity Work Visa?
- What Workers Can and Cannot Do
- How Can Total Law Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility Requirements for Charity Worker Visa UK
The following are the eligibility requirements for a charity worker visa:
For German Employers
- You must provide your prospective employee with a COS reference number.
- You must provide your prospective employee with details of the job description, including working hours as stated on the certificate of sponsorship.
- You must confirm with UK employment laws.
- If you will be financially responsible for your employee for the first month in the UK, you must indicate this on your Certificate of sponsorship.
For Your Prospective Employees
- They must have at least £1,270 in their bank account to prove they can financially sponsor themselves, except if you intend to sponsor them or if they have been granted a valid visa within the last year.
- Evidence shows that their family members (partners or children) will be financially cared for in the UK.
- They must be at least 18 years old.
- Suppose they were previously granted a Religious Worker or Charity Worker visa within the last year. In that case, they are ineligible for this visa unless they can demonstrate that they were outside the United Kingdom during that period.
Sponsor Licence and Certificate of Sponsorship Requirement
A certificate of sponsorship (COS) is a reference number containing information about the nature of the job you intend to offer, including your details. It is not a paper document or certificate. Before your prospective employee applies for a charity worker visa, you are to furnish them with the details of the COS.
The sponsorship certificate expires three months after its issuance. Your prospective employee must apply for a charity worker visa within that time. You must not have had issues regarding a revoked licence in the last year to be granted a sponsorship licence.
It is your responsibility to check if your employees are suitable for the job before assigning them a sponsor licence and to check if they meet their visa requirements.
Required Documents for the Charity Worker Visa
To be granted a temporary worker charity visa, your intending employee must submit the required documents during application.
Here are the required documents for a charity worker visa:
- A valid international passport with blank pages or other official identity document.
- A COS reference number from you
- Bank statements that show proof the employee can be financially cared for.
- Evidence of a genuine relationship with a partner or children, such as an adoption paper, birth certificate or marriage certificate if travelling with family.
- If any of their documents are in German or a language other than English or Welsh, they must be translated to English or Welsh by a licensed translator.
Apply for Charity Worker Visa UK
The German employer who wants to employ a worker for their UK company and the prospective employee must fulfil their obligations to obtain a charity worker visa. Here is a step-by-step guide.
Employers Role
Step 1: Sponsorship Management Roles
The first step is to designate individuals within your company to oversee the sponsorship procedure so they can apply for a sponsorship licence. These roles include an authorising officer, key contact staff, and level 1 users.
An immigration lawyer can take any of these roles except the authorising officer role. Our lawyers at Total Law can help you with these management roles. To be eligible for a sponsor licence, you and your sponsorship managers must be free of criminal convictions related to immigration, money laundering, or fraud.
Step 2: Apply for a Sponsorship Licence Through the Home Office Website
You must apply for a temporary worker licence on the home office website and pay the licence fee. When applying for a charity worker visa, you must send your supporting documents in PDF, JPEG, or PNG format to the email address on the application form.
Step 3: Get Your Sponsorship Licence
If you are eligible for the sponsorship licence after applying, you will receive an A rating and be eligible to sponsor a worker to work in your UK company.
Prospective Employee’s Role
STEP1: Apply Online via the Home Office Website
Your prospective employee must apply online by filling in their details via the home office website. They will be required to pay the visa and health surcharge fee.
Step 2: Biometric Details
Prospective employees need to obtain a biometric residence permit by providing their biometric information at a visa application centre in their home country. They must collect their biometric residence permit upon arrival in the UK as it ascertains their identity and right to stay in the UK.
Step 3: Passport Collection
When a decision has been made on their application, the visa application centre will notify them to collect their passport.
Processing Time and Application Cost
To apply for a charity worker visa, your prospective employee must pay the stipulated application fee and wait for a visa decision. Outside the UK, the application is usually processed three weeks after the biometric details have been submitted.
As a German employer who wants a sponsor licence to employ a worker in your UK company, you must also pay the licence fee to be granted one.
Here are the application costs:
| Licence fee | £574 |
| Application fee | £319 |
| Healthcare surcharge | £1035 yearly |
How Long Can Workers Stay in the UK on a Charity Work Visa?
As stated, your employees on a charity worker visa can work in your UK company for up to 12 months or the time indicated on the COS plus 14 days, whichever is shorter.
Entry into the UK for unpaid volunteer work is permitted up to 14 days before the commencement of their employment. If your employee decides to stay longer on a charity worker visa, they must apply for an extension before the current visa expires as long as they are still in the UK.
However, you and your employees must continue to meet the visa requirements to be granted a visa extension.
What Workers Can and Cannot Do
Your prospective employees on the visa are permitted to:
- Travel to the UK with their family members (their partner and children).
- Study. Depending on the course, they may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme Certificate to study.
- Work for your company as detailed in the COS.
- Do a second job for 20 hours a week if it is in the same industry as their primary employment.
However, your prospective employees are not permitted to:
- Receive salary or wages for work.
- Consent to a permanent employment opportunity.
- Receive public funds.
How Can Total Law Help?
The temporary work (Charity worker) visa applications can be complex for employers and employees. It is advisable to employ an immigration lawyer to help you navigate this complexity. Our immigration lawyers at Total Law have vast knowledge of UK immigration law.
We have helped several German employers who want a worker for their UK company to obtain sponsorship licences, taken sponsorship management roles, and ensured prospective employees are granted the charity worker visa as desired.
Let our experienced lawyers at Total Law help you. Call 0333 305 9375 or send us an online message. We are ready to guide you through the application process.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
As a foreigner from any EU member country or European Economic Area, you must be granted a charity worker visa to do unpaid voluntary work for your UK sponsor.
The charity worker visa does not allow you to settle permanently in the UK. You must apply for a different visa that allows for settlement if this is a route you wish to pursue.
If your application for a charity worker visa is denied, you can request an administrative review to reexamine the decision. Our lawyers at Total Law can help you file an appeal or reapply.
