Temples, gurdwaras, churches and mosques in Britain that bring in priests and helpers from India and elsewhere will find the paperwork a little different from 29 October. A Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, HC 584, laid before Parliament on 3 September 2026, alters two routes used by faith groups. A separate set of changes for visitors starts earlier, on 8 October.
The Home Office's explanatory memorandum files the religious worker changes under minor changes, but for faith communities they touch daily practice: who can come, how long they can stay, and what the sponsor has to prove.
Ministers of Religion, from 29 October
The T2 Minister of Religion route is for people who lead a congregation, preach and perform rites. Three things change. Members of religious orders, such as monks or nuns, will no longer be barred by the rule that the role must not be mainly non-pastoral.
Applicants who will not be entitled to the UK National Minimum Wage, often because they receive no salary, will not need to show personal funds. Instead the sponsor, which must hold an A rating, has to confirm on the Certificate of Sponsorship that it will maintain and accommodate them, and their partner and children if they come too.
The upper limit on how long a person can stay in the route overall is removed, which the Home Office says brings it in line with other work routes. Each grant will still be for up to three years, or up to 14 days after the job period on the certificate, whichever is shorter.
Temporary religious workers, from 29 October
The Temporary Work Religious Worker route, a short-term route for mainly non-pastoral roles, loses its requirement for the sponsor to test the job market by placing a vacancy notice. In its place the role must meet one of three tests.
It can be supernumerary, meaning it is over and above the sponsor's normal staffing and would not be filled if the person were not there. It can involve living mainly within a religious order. Or the applicant must have performed religious duties outside the UK for at least six months just before applying, for the same faith-based organisation the sponsor is linked to, with a letter from that overseas body to prove it.
For a gurdwara committee in Southall or a temple trust in Leicester bringing a granthi or a pujari's assistant from Punjab or Gujarat, that third test is likely to be the one that matters. The same maintain-and-accommodate rule replaces the funds test for unpaid workers. Anyone who will lead a congregation still has to use the Minister of Religion route. The Home Office gives a plain reason for the funds change on both routes: many religious workers receive no salary while they are in the UK, so a personal savings test did not match how they are supported.
Applications made before 29 October will be decided under the rules in force on 28 October.
Visitors, from 8 October
The changes for visitors are tied to the UK's free trade commitments. Visitors coming for training will no longer have to show that the training is unavailable in their home country. Artists, entertainers and musicians will be allowed to attend rehearsals, and entertainment staff, under a new tighter definition, will be able to help with permitted activities.
All visitors will also be able to take part in workshops, debates and skills competitions, part of the preparation for the UK rejoining Erasmus+. The Home Office says the effect will be small against the 2.2 million visit visas and 25.1 million electronic travel authorisations granted in the year to March 2026. Applications made before 8 October will be decided under the rules of 7 October.
The fees for these routes are not changing on 8 October, as set out in our report on the UK fee table. Students should note the separate rise in Student visa funds from 30 November in the same statement. This is general information; sponsors should check the updated guidance on GOV.UK once the rules take effect.
