The Gateway

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HOPS uses a software platform called The Gateway to manage its recruitment and to place workers on farms. We set up a personal profile for all candidates who are selected for interview, which gives them access to all the information they need about the SWS; and, subsequently, we add successful recruits' placement details and associated documents to their Gateway profiles.

 

The Gateway is free to use for all of our workers. If you need help with using any of its features, please contact HOPS.

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How are workers recruited?

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As a responsible SWS operator, HOPS restricts its recruitment to a small number of countries in order to ensure that it has the right processes and safeguards in place. Our careful approach to recruitment allows us to maintain oversight of – and, where necessary, exercise full control over – the selection and onboarding of suitable candidates.  

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As noted on our home page, for the 2025 season we will be recruiting in Kazakhstan (returnees only), Kenya (from select agricultural institutions), Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, North Macedonia, Tajikistan (returnees only), Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

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If you would like to apply as a new applicant, and you are a citizen of one of the above-mentioned states, please click here.

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Returnee workers, except under exceptional circumstances, must receive an invitation from a farm they have already worked on. Therefore, prospective returnees must let their former manager know that they wish to participate in the SWS again. If the farm then informs HOPS that it is willing to rehire that prospective returnee, we will send the worker an invitation via the Gateway.

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Important: while we strive to prevent bad actors from insinuating themselves into our recruitment process, or otherwise exploiting our applicants, we acknowledge that we are operating in a high-risk industry. Consequently, we wish to emphasise that neither we, nor our local representatives, nor our government partners will ever ask applicants to pay any money to secure a place on the SWS.

 

If anyone does ask you to pay any fees that are not listed below, please report them to HOPS as a matter of urgency.​

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What expenses must successful SWS applicants pay?

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Applicants who have been selected to take part in the SWS will have to pay the following costs, denominated here in British pound sterling (GBP):

 

• A visa application fee of £298; this is paid on the UK government website, at www.gov.uk/season-worker-visa, when you submit your online application.

• A maximum fee of £80 for your ‘biometric’ appointment at your local TLSContact centre (soon to be VFS Global for Kenya). The exact charge will depend on your country of residence.

• Tickets to the UK. This will depend on the nature of you journey; however, a return ticket, whether to Central Asia or Kenya, should never cost more than £800.

• Workers will have to pay for their airport transfer to the farm. You are free to arrange your own transport, or you can contact HOPS for assistance.

• Initial living costs of £150-£200. Please bring enough money to support yourself for the first couple of weeks, or until you are due to receive your first pay.

• Kenyan candidates must undergo a health check. This costs around £106.

• Uzbek candidates must pay a fee of approximately £110 to the Uzbek government.

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If you have any questions about the foregoing costs – or you believe you are being asked to pay other fees – please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Immigration status

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In order to take part in the SWS, applicants will need to obtain a Seasonal Worker visa. HOPS sponsors its recruits' Seasonal Worker visas. All of our workers must abide by the following rules and restrictions:

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• Workers may only work at their designated HOPS partner farm.

• Workers who wish to transfer to a different farm must submit a transfer request via the Gateway. If a worker accepts a new job, he must submit a leaver form to his farm manager.

• Workers can stay at their farm for a maximum of six months. After this, they must leave the UK.

• Workers may only apply for one six-month visa in any 12-month period.

• Workers do not have access to public funds. Medical insurance, however, is provided.

• Workers must furnish HOPS with evidence of their departure from the UK.

• HOPS reserves the right to withdraw its sponsorship of a worker's visa. Should this happen, the worker will have to make arrangements to leave the country as soon as possible. 

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What are the working hours?

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This depends on a complex interplay of factors, including the needs of the farm, weather conditions, and the time of year. Accordingly, a worker's hours may fluctuate.

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Nonetheless, all workers in an authorised placement are guaranteed to receive a minimum of 32 hours' pay per week – even if they have in fact worked fewer hours than this.

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