If you are a young foreign national and you want to live and study in the UK, you may be eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa.
The Youth Mobility Scheme allows young people from participating countries or territories to experience life in the UK for up to two years.
If you’re granted a visa, you will be able to work in most jobs and study in the UK for the duration of your visa’s validity. You may also be self-employed, under certain conditions.
You will also be free to leave and re-enter the UK at any time during your stay.
However, the UK Youth Mobility Visa cannot be extended and you cannot bring any dependents with you to the UK on this visa.
If you’re granted a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa, you will be able to:
You will not be able to:
If you intend to work as a sportsperson in the UK, you may instead be eligible for a dedicated Sportsperson visa.
In order to to be eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa, you must:
You may also apply if you are a:
You will not be eligible for the YMS visa if:
Note that in order to be eligible for the scheme, you must apply for it within 6 months of the date of your visit to the UK.
If you’re applying from Australia, Canada, Monaco or New Zealand, there are no additional eligibility criteria for you to follow.
However, other countries in the scheme have specific requirements that youth mobility scheme applicants will need to follow.
If you’re applying for the scheme from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea or Taiwan, you must first be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme Ballot.
The ballot usually opens in January and July each year. Most applicants are usually chosen in the January ballot and the remaining applicants selected in the July ballot.
The ballots are open for 48 hours at a time. Applicants must send an email during this window to enter.
Your email must be written in English. The subject line of your email must include your:
The subject line must be written in the following format: Lastname Firstname – DD/MM/YYYY – passport number.
The body of the email must include your:
You will receive an email if you’ve been selected for the scheme through the ballot.
Once you receive your email, you will have 30 days to submit your application and pay the fees.
After you’ve paid, you will then have 90 days in which to book an appointment at your nearest visa application centre. This is where you’ll have to provide your biometrics information in the form of fingerprints and a photograph of yourself.
You will then receive a decision on your visa within 30 days of attending your appointment. If your application is successful, you will have 90 days to enter the UK.
If you’re unable to travel to the UK within 90 days, you’ll need to apply for an extension.
You will receive an email within two weeks of the ballot closing notifying you that you have been unsuccessful.
You will be eligible to apply when the next ballot opens, as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.
You must apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa online.
You will be asked to fill in the online application form, upload the relevant documents and pay the visa application fee.
As part of your application, you will need to provide the following documents:
You will also have to prove your identity as part of your application. You will either:
You will be notified of which one you will have to do when you apply.
A Youth Mobility Scheme Visa costs £259 to obtain.
In addition, you will have to pay a yearly National Health Service surcharge. This is usually around £470 per year.
You must also have at least £2,530 in personal savings to be eligible for the scheme.
Applications for the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa are usually processed within three weeks.
At WMYV, we understand how complex it can be to understand which visa category is best for you. Whatever your circumstance or profession, the expert lawyers at WMYV can help you. We will answer all your questions and guide you through each stage of your enquiry or application process. WMYV will maximise your chances of a successful Youth Mobility Scheme application.
Our services include assessing your eligibility for a Youth Mobility visa, checking your documents to ensure they are sufficient for your application, and helping you to complete each part of your application form to the highest standard. We can even liaise with the Home Office for you during your application process to ensure that the process goes smoothly, keeping you updated every step of the way.
Reach out to us for more information or to see how we can help you?
As the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa only provides entry clearance and not permission to stay, it is only open to applicants from outside of the UK.
Each country has its own quota of open places for the scheme:
| Country | Number of Places |
| Australia | 30,000 |
| Canada | 6,000 |
| Hong Kong | 1,000 |
| Iceland | 1,000 |
| India | 3,000 |
| Japan | 1,500 |
| Monaco | 1,000 |
| New Zealand | 13,000 |
| Republic of Korea | 1,000 |
| San Marino | 1,000 |
| Taiwan | 1,000 |
British overseas citizens, British overseas territories citizens and British nationals (overseas) are not subject to a limit on how many people can apply to the scheme.
The Youth Mobility scheme visa can only be extended if you’re from New Zealand. Australian nationals will also be able to extend their visa from 31 January 2024.
If you’re eligible, you will be able to extend your visa by one year when you’ve spent full two years in the UK with it. You can only extend your visa once.
Extending a Youth Mobility Scheme visa costs £259. You will also have to pay the immigration healthcare surcharge.
For other applicants, you may be able to apply for other UK visas during your stay if you wish to extend your stay in the UK.
These include:
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