UNITED KINGDOM — Central Asian nationals received 78.5 percent of all U.K. Seasonal Worker visas issued in 2025, an increase from 7.6 percent in 2021. The trend continued into the first quarter of 2026, with Central Asians receiving over 75 percent of U.K. Seasonal Worker visas. Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan are now the four largest source countries for the U.K.'s temporary workers scheme.

In 2025, Kyrgyzstan was issued 12,650 U.K. seasonal visas, while Uzbekistan received 6,307. Kazakhstan was issued 5,767 seasonal visas, and Tajikistan received 5,712. U.K.-wide applications to the Seasonal Worker route rose 23 percent in the year leading up to March 2026.

The U.K. Seasonal Worker visa quota decreased from 45,000 to 42,900 places in 2026. The visa program limits the Central Asian region to fewer than 40,000 six-month visas annually. The Seasonal Worker visa does not permit dependents and offers no settlement rights, allowing six months of work in any 10-month period before a mandatory exit. For those who reach the application stage, the grant rate for these visas is approximately 99 percent.

The role of Ukraine and Russia in the program changed between 2021 and 2025. Ukraine sent approximately 19,900 seasonal workers to the U.K. in 2021, decreasing to 530 in 2025. Russia sent 2,276 seasonal workers to the U.K. in 2021, which dropped to 11 in 2025.

Since January 2025, visa-free migrants can remain in Russia for only 90 days per calendar year. In the first half of 2025, deportations in Russia rose 17 percent, and residence permits in the country fell by about one-third.

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan permit British operators to hire workers directly for the scheme. Tajikistan routes prospective U.K. seasonal workers through a Ministry of Labor shortlist. Uzbekistan operates a state migrant center, which opened in 2025 with backing from the European Union.

Asylum claims from Central Asian countries in the U.K. peaked in 2023. Uzbekistan recorded 832 asylum claims, Tajikistan 495, Kazakhstan 461, and Kyrgyzstan 233 in that year.