Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many potential scheme operators were in place to run the agricultural seasonal worker visa scheme; on what date were the most recent four scheme operators recruited; and when her Department last made an open call for applications for operators to run the scheme.

The welfare of the people using our visa schemes is always of paramount importance to us, including in the Seasonal Worker scheme. In the event that a scheme operator for the Seasonal Worker routes became unlicensed for any reason, the Home Office will consider each case on its own merits and tailor our response accordingly.

The licensed sponsors for the Seasonal Worker route are listed on Register of Licensed Sponsors: www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers

The Home Office does not provide commentary on when individual organisations enter onto or leave the Register of Licensed Sponsors.

The selection of Scheme Operators is led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Details of this process can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/seasonal-worker-visa-route-request-for-information-rfi.