Central Asian Workers Dominate UK Seasonal Fruit Harvest Workforce

Temporary workers from Central Asia now make up the overwhelming majority of seasonal labour supporting the UK’s fruit sector, according to the latest Seasonal Worker visa figures, following a sharp decline in recruitment from Ukraine.

Data for 2025 shows that nationals from Central Asia received 78.5% of all UK Seasonal Worker visas, a significant increase from just 7.6% in 2021. 

The shift reflects major changes in the makeup of the agricultural workforce over the past four years.

The largest numbers of UK seasonal worker visa recipients reportedly came from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. 

Kyrgyzstan accounted for the highest total, with 12,650 visas issued in 2025, followed by Uzbekistan (6,307), Kazakhstan (5,767), and Tajikistan (5,712). 

Visa approval rates for applicants from the four main Central Asian source countries remain high, with around 99% of applications reportedly successful.

Ukrainian Recruitment Falls

The changing workforce profile in UK agriculture follows a sharp decline in seasonal recruitment from Ukraine. 

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine was the principal source of seasonal workers for UK horticulture, supplying almost 19,900 workers in 2021. By 2025, that figure had fallen to just 530.

Industry observers also point to changing migration policies in Russia as a factor influencing labour movement across the region. 

Since early 2025, Russia has limited visa-free migrants to a maximum stay of 90 days per year, reducing opportunities for many Central Asian workers.

Nonetheless, the UK’s Seasonal Worker route remains a temporary migration programme. 

The visa allows overseas workers to undertake agricultural work for up to six months within a 10-month period and does not provide a route to permanent residence nor does it permit accompanying dependants.

Although the proportion of Central Asian workers has increased substantially, the overall scale of the scheme remains relatively modest. 

Fewer than 40,000 Seasonal Worker visas are issued annually, compared with the substantially larger number of Central Asian migrants employed in Russia.

Separate government figures also indicate that asylum applications from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan have increased in recent years, rising from only a few dozen cases in 2020 to approximately 2,000 in 2023.

Source: LBC News