The Charity Worker visa is one of the least understood UK routes — and one of the few with no salary threshold at all. The trade-off is strict: the work must be genuinely unpaid, and it lasts at most 12 months.
What the route is for
Charity Worker sits within the Temporary Worker category. It allows you to come to the UK to do unpaid voluntary work for a charity, where the work directly supports what the charity exists to do.
Typical examples: field or programme support for an international development charity, conservation work, support roles in a religious or community organisation, or working with a UK charity's beneficiaries.
Key rules in 2026
| Maximum stay | 12 months (or the time on your CoS plus 14 days, whichever is shorter) |
| Salary | None — the work must be unpaid |
| Skill level | No RQF requirement |
| English language | Not required |
| Maintenance funds | £1,270, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance |
| Immigration skills charge | Not payable by the sponsor |
| Settlement | Does not lead to indefinite leave to remain |
Always confirm current requirements on GOV.UK before applying. Reviewed 2026-08-10.
What “unpaid” actually means
This is where applications go wrong. The role must be voluntary. Your sponsor may cover reasonable expenses — accommodation, meals, travel to and from the placement, and a small stipend for daily living costs in line with volunteering norms — without that counting as a salary.
What it cannot be is a normal job with the word “volunteer” attached. If the role has fixed hours, a wage, and would otherwise be a paid position, the correct route is Skilled Worker — and charities can sponsor Skilled Workers, at the reduced small-sponsor rates.
Charity Worker vs Skilled Worker at a charity
Charities appear on the register under both routes. If you are being offered a paid role — a fundraising manager, a programme lead, a finance officer — you want the Skilled Worker route, and the charity pays the small-sponsor skills charge of £480 a year rather than £1,320. Check the occupation is eligible in the codes table.
What you can and cannot do
- You can do the voluntary work described on your Certificate of Sponsorship.
- You can study, subject to ATAS requirements where they apply.
- You can take a second job in some circumstances, up to 20 hours a week, in an eligible occupation.
- You cannot take a permanent paid job, claim public funds, or settle in the UK on this route.
- You cannot bring dependants unless they already hold permission as your dependants.
How to find a licensed charity sponsor
You need a charity that already holds a Temporary Worker licence for this route — a charity without one cannot sponsor you, however keen it is.
- Open our sponsor list and filter the Route column to “Charity Worker”.
- Add a town or city filter if you are targeting a location.
- Check the type and rating — you need an A-rated sponsor.
- Approach the charity directly about volunteering opportunities; most place volunteers through their own programmes rather than job boards.
You can also browse the dedicated charity worker route page, which lists licensed organisations, or look at the related religious worker and seasonal worker routes.
Before you commit
Be clear-eyed about what this route is: a year of unpaid work, no settlement path, and no automatic switch into a work visa afterwards. It suits people who want structured volunteering experience with a UK charity — not people looking for a back door into the UK labour market. If long-term work is the goal, read how to find a sponsor for the Skilled Worker route instead.