Bateman has signed a three-year deal with the Raiders that will keep the English international in Canberra until the end of the 2021 season.

A Wigan Warriors statement says the club received "a significant transfer fee" to release Bateman to Canberra and the 24-year-old has "agreed to a three-year deal to become Wigan’s marquee player when he returns" to the Super League in 2022.

Bateman's signing follows the contract extension handed to Raiders forward Dunamis Lui ahead of the club's clash with the Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart sought the advice of captain Josh Hodgson at the start of the year when the club began to pursue the versatile Bradford product.

Hodgson likens Bateman to Canberra's other resident Englishman in Elliott Whitehead because the 12-Test veteran can play centre, second row and in the middle third.

"There’s a few of us coming now so it looks like we’re half taking over this joint," Hodgson said.

"It’s really good to get him here, he’s a fantastic player and we’ve been hoping for a while that we’d get that across. I spoke to Stick about him at the start of the year, he’s just a natural competitor that hates being beaten.

"No matter where you put him on the field, you know he is going to do a job for you. He is similar to Elliott in a lot of ways, in terms of his work rate and his team first attitude. He will do whatever he needs to to get the win and he is a great talent that is a great acquisition for us.

"He’s still young but he’s an international player, and that’s the calibre of player you want coming to the club."

Negotiations have been ongoing for several months with the Raiders waiting for Wigan to announce Bateman's departure before unveiling his arrival.

Wigan attempted to persuade Bateman to stay with the Super League powerhouse before agreeing to let him go when it became apparent he wouldn't let up on his desire to play down under.

Bateman has been keen to test himself in the NRL for years and Hodgson has no doubt he will seamlessly fit into the Green Machine.

The only problem will be getting used to the heat during Canberra's sweltering pre-season training campaign.

"He’s got quite pale skin so the sun might bother him for a while," Hodgson said.

"He will have the bucket hat on running around with Elliott, but he’ll soon get used to the heat once pre-season comes. He looks after himself, he’s as fit kid, he can play and he’s tough, so he’s got more bases than covered than most.

"[Pre-season is tough in the heat], I’m not going to lie about that. Even when you get used to the heat it’s always tough. I remember my first session, I lived just across the street and I walked to training in the morning, it must have taken me half an hour to do a five-minute walk just to get back.

"It was a bit of a shock to the system but it was also a good eye-opener as well for me when I first came. John will probably find it tough in the heat in the first couple of weeks, but he’s a fit kid anyway so he’ll get used to that."

Bateman's impending arrival means the Raiders will have four English stars in lime green next season - himself, Hodgson, Whitehead, and Ryan Sutton.

NRL ROUND 22

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium, 2pm. Tickets available fromTicketek.

Raiders squad: 1. Nick Cotric, 2. Brad Abbey, 3. Blake Austin, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Aidan Sezer, 7. Sam Williams, 8. Sia Soliola, 9. Josh Hodgson (c), 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Joe Tapine, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Josh Papalii. Interchange from: 14. Dunamis Lui, 15. Shannon Boyd, 16. Siliva Havili, 17. Luke Bateman, 18. Liam Knight, 19. Jack Murchie, 20. Makahesi Makatoa, 21. Emre Guler.

Tigers squad: 1. Moses Mbye, 2. David Nofoaluma, 3. Esan Marsters, 4. Kevin Naiqama, 5. Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, 6. Benji Marshall, 7. Luke Brooks, 8. Russell Packer (c), 9. Robbie Farah, 10. Ben Matulino, 11. Michael Chee Kam, 12. Luke Garner, 13. Elijah Taylor. Interchange from: 14. Alex Twal, 15. Sauaso Sue, 16. Robbie Rochow, 17. Matt Eisenhuth, 18. Jacob Liddle, 19. Chris McQueen, 20. Tyson Gamble, 21. Mahe Fonua.