Zero Deposit FAQ — answers to the most common questions

Q: Can I really apply with no money? A: Yes. €0 is due at signing. No application fee, no registration fee, no admin fee. The only money you pay is Payment 1 (after your employer documents are verified) and Payment 2 (after your visa is issued).

Q: Is the Zero Deposit Program a loan? A: No. It is a milestone-paid service contract between you and Workium. You pay only when verified milestones in your case are reached. There is no credit check, no loan agreement and no third-party lender involved.

Q: What if I cannot pay Payment 1 when it falls due? A: Workium pauses your case immediately. Interest accrues at 4% above the Bank of England base rate plus a €50 admin fee per overdue invoice. If you are 14 days overdue, Workium may terminate the agreement and pursue recovery through the courts of England and Wales (jurisdiction you submit to by signing). Get in touch with billing@workium.co.uk BEFORE the due date if you anticipate a delay — we're flexible with candidates who flag early.

Q: Can I change my mind after signing? A: Yes, within 3 calendar days of signing — the cooling-off window. Just email support@workium.co.uk. No questions asked, no fees due. After 3 days, you remain liable for any milestone work already performed.

Q: Will I be guaranteed a visa? A: No. Workium does not guarantee visa, work-permit or employer outcomes. Visa decisions belong to the foreign authority. We are accountable for delivering the service work properly; if the foreign authority refuses, Payment 2 does not become due because the milestone (visa issued) was never reached.

Q: What happens if my visa is refused? A: Payment 2 does not become due (the milestone was never reached). Payment 1 remains due because the corresponding work (document verification, employer matching, permit authorisation) was performed and verified. Your Partner Agency will review the refusal grounds with you, and where appropriate, may help you re-apply or pivot to a different programme.

Q: Who chooses the Partner Agency for me? A: Workium does, from a pool of KYC-approved partners who have completed our Partner Network onboarding. We match you to an agency that (a) has open capacity on your chosen programme, (b) has the best performance record on similar candidates, and (c) is based in the country closest to your origin or destination for faster turnaround.

Q: Can I see the Partner Agency before I sign? A: The agency is appointed AFTER you sign — but you see their full company profile, fees and assigned caseworker on your dashboard the moment they accept you. If you have a concern, you can request a re-match from your dashboard before any milestone work has commenced.

Q: How is the fee on my dashboard determined? A: The Partner Agency you are matched with sets their own per-programme fee within the Workium-published range. The fee shown on your dashboard the moment your match is confirmed is the fee you pay — split across Payment 1 and Payment 2. If you ever see two different numbers, email billing@workium.co.uk; an earlier bug had some dashboards still showing the Workium reference fee instead of the agency fee, and we have fixed that.

Q: Where can I download my signed agreement? A: Workium dashboard → Zero Deposit tab → 'Agreement' panel → 'Download PDF'.

Q: How do I withdraw within the cooling-off window? A: Email support@workium.co.uk with subject 'ZD cooling-off withdrawal — [your full name]' and your application id in the body. We acknowledge within 1 business day, release your slot, and your status moves to 'withdrawn — cooling off'.

Q: Is my data shared with anyone? A: Yes — but only with parties strictly needed to deliver the service: the assigned Partner Agency, the prospective employer, the destination country's embassy/consulate/ministry, and Workium's payment processor. Workium's full Privacy Notice is at workium.co.uk/privacy.

Q: Can I bring my family with me? A: Dependant visas vary by destination. Germany and Hungary allow family reunification under their respective rules; Serbia, Bulgaria and Finland's seasonal programmes are typically single-applicant. Your Partner Agency will advise the moment you are matched.

Q: How do I get help if I'm stuck? A: Three ways: (1) email support@workium.co.uk, (2) message your Partner Agency directly from the dashboard 'Messages' tab after matching, (3) chat with Luna (Workium's AI assistant) on any page of workium.co.uk — Luna has been trained on every Zero Deposit help article and can answer most questions instantly.

Q: Is there a webinar I can attend? A: Yes. Workium runs a live walkthrough of the Zero Deposit Program on Zoho — free to attend. Reserve your seat at live.zoho.com/ohri-bim-cgq.