You can apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa UK if you are between 18 and 30 years old and from a participating country and territory. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will be given a Youth Mobility Scheme visa to live and work in the UK for up to 24 months. This visa has replaced the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5). The Youth Mobility Scheme provides a cultural exchange programme that allows a person aged between 18 and 30 from participating countries and territories to experience life in the UK for up to 2 years. An application for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa is made per the requirements set out in the Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme of the Immigration Rules. You cannot apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa from inside the UK, and the applicant has to apply from outside the UK in the form of an entry clearance application for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa.
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You can apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa if you:
- want to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years
- are aged 18 to 30
- have £2,530 in savings
- have certain types of British Nationality or are from certain countries or territories listed in the eligibility requirements
The Youth Mobility Scheme route is not a settlement route, meaning it does not lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). However, it is possible to switch from a Youth Mobility Scheme visa to another visa type from inside the UK, which may lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK. Dependants are not permitted on the Youth Mobility Scheme visa route.
Free Immigration Advice For Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) Visa UK
Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide one-off free immigration advice online regarding your application for a Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visa. Ask a question online to our specialist team of immigration solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our immigration solicitors concerning your application for a Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visa UK.
Requirements For Youth Mobility Scheme Visa UK
A person applying for the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visa UK should meet the following requirements as set out in the Immigration Rules:
Valid Application: The applicant must submit a valid entry clearance application for Youth Mobility Scheme visa from outside the UK in accordance with requirements for a valid application as set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme of the Immigration Rules.
Nationality Status Requirement: The applicant must be one of the following:
- a British Overseas Citizen (BOC), British Overseas Territories citizen (BOTC) or British National (Overseas) often referred to as BNO; or
- a national or citizen of a country or the holder of a passport issued by a territory, listed in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals.
Country-Specific Eligibility Requirements: Where the applicant is a national of Australia, Canada, Monaco, or New Zealand, they are not required to meet any country-specific eligibility requirements but must meet the financial requirements in YMS 5.1 to YMS 5.3 of Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme of the Immigration Rules.
Where the applicant is a national, citizen or rightful passport holder of one of the countries or territories listed in the following table of country-specific eligibility requirements, they must meet the requirements listed:
| 1 | Hong Kong Japan Republic of Korea Taiwan |
The applicant must: a) have been issued with an invitation to apply in accordance with the invitation to apply arrangements set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals; and b) have made their application within any time limit specified on that invitation to apply. |
| 2 | San Marino | The applicant must provide a letter confirming the applicant is a suitable candidate for the Youth Mobility Scheme from the Directorate of Political and Diplomatic Affairs of the Republic of San Marino Department of Foreign Affairs that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application. |
| 3 | Iceland | The applicant must provide a Criminal Certificate for Private Use that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application. |
| 4 | India | The applicant must: (a) have been issued with an invitation to apply in accordance with the invitation to apply arrangements set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals; and (b) have made their application within the period of time specified in that invitation to apply; and (c) provide the unique application number for that invitation to apply; and (d) provide a local police certificate or a police clearance certificate that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application; and (e) hold a qualification equal to or above RQF level 6. |
The number of places allocated to nationals or citizens of the same country, or rightful holders of a passport issued by the same territory, must not have exceeded the annual total allocation of places for that country or territory as set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals.
Where the applicant is a British Overseas citizen (BOC), British Overseas Territories citizen (BOTC) or British National Overseas (BNO), YMS 4.1 to YMS 4.2 of Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme of the Immigration Rules do not apply.
Age Requirement: The applicant must be between 18 and 30 years old at the date of application.
Not Previously Lived In The UK Under Youth Mobility Scheme Visa: The applicant must not have previously spent time in the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme route.
Suitability Requirements: The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal.
Financial Requirement: The applicant must have funds of £ 2,530 and show that they have held the required level of funds for a 28-day period, as specified in Appendix Finance. Also, the applicant must not have any children aged under 18 who are either living with them or financially dependent upon them.
Tuberculosis Test Certificate Requirement: If paragraph A39 and Appendix T of these rules apply, a person applying for entry clearance on the Youth Mobility Scheme route must provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.
Youth Mobility Scheme Ballot
You must be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot before you can apply for your visa if you are from:
- Hong Kong, if you have a SAR passport
- Japan
- South Korea
- Taiwan
You do not need to enter the ballot if you are a British overseas citizen, British overseas territories citizen, or British national (overseas).
India Young Professionals Scheme
An India Young Professionals Scheme visa allows Indian citizens between 18 and 30 years old to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years. You must be selected in the India Young Professionals Scheme ballot before you can apply for this visa. To enter the ballot, you must declare that you are eligible for the India Young Professionals Scheme visa for the UK. You can apply for an India Young Professionals Scheme visa for the UK online after being successful in the India Young Professionals Scheme ballot and receiving an invitation letter to apply for the visa under the scheme. The invitation letter will give you a deadline to apply for your visa under the scheme, usually within 30 days after you get the invitation. You must travel to the UK within 6 months of applying for your visa. You will usually get a decision on your visa application within 3 weeks of your biometrics enrolment date at the visa application centre in India. Read More
How To Enter The Ballot?
Ballots typically open in January and July each year. You can enter the ballot by sending an email. Only one ballot entry can be submitted per person, and duplicates will not be counted.
Ensure you meet all visa eligibility requirements before entering the ballot. Ballots will be open for 48 hours. All emails Home Office UKVI receives within this 48-hour period will be entered into the ballot. You will get an automated reply confirming your entry.
Most applicants are usually chosen during the January ballot and the remaining places are allocated in the July ballot.
Period and Conditions Of Grant
The applicant will be granted entry clearance for up to two years.
The grant will be subject to all the following conditions:
- no access to public funds; and
- work permitted, subject to
- the following employment conditions:
- no employment as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach); and
- no self-employment, except where the following conditions are met:
- the person has no premises which they own, other than their home, from which they carry out their business; and
- the total value of any equipment used in the business does not exceed £5,000; and
- the person has no employees.
- study is permitted subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS.
How Can We Help?
Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on a fixed fee basis in relation to your entry clearance application for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa. Our fixed fee for your entry clearance application will cover all the work of our immigration solicitors on your entry clearance application Youth Mobility Scheme visa until a decision is made by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) on your application. The casework to be carried out by our immigration solicitors in relation to your entry clearance application for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa will entail the following:
Advice on requirements: Our immigration solicitors will advise you on the relevant requirements you have to meet for your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application to succeed.
Advice on documents: Our immigration lawyers will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application;
Assessment of documents: Our immigration lawyers will assess your documents to make sure that all the documents you provide in support of your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application are in accordance with the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
Completing application form: Our immigration lawyers will complete the relevant application form for your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application.
Submitting application through Priority Service: Where possible, our immigration lawyers will submit your online entry clearance application through priority service to get a faster decision on your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application.
Booking an appointment with the application centre: After you submit your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application online, our immigration lawyers will book an appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics.
Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist immigration solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of the Youth Mobility Scheme visa application to explain all the relevant legal requirements have been satisfied for the approval of the entry clearance application;
Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our immigration lawyers will upload online all the supporting documents to be considered in support of the Youth Mobility Scheme visa application.
Follow-up work: Our immigration lawyers will carry out all the follow-up work until the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) makes a decision on the Youth Mobility Scheme visa application.
Our Fixed Fees For Youth Mobility Scheme Visa Application
Our immigration solicitors will charge a fixed fee ranging from £800 to £1,500 (no VAT) for your Youth Mobility Scheme visa. The agreed fixed will depend on the complexity of the application and the volume of work involved in the application for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa UK.
Our fixed fee for the application does not cover any disbursements, e.g., the UKVI fee for the application, and the applicant has to pay the Home Office UKVI fees for the application separately.
FAQs - Youth Mobility Scheme Visa UK
You can apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa online.
You can:
- study - for some courses, you’ll need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate
- work in most jobs
- be self-employed and set up a company - as long as your premises are rented, your equipment is not worth more than £5,000 and you do not have any employees
You cannot:
- work as a professional sportsperson (for example as a coach)
- extend your stay
- get public funds
- bring in family members on your application - they must apply separately
If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will be given a Youth Mobility Scheme visa to live and work in the UK for up to 24 months.
You can apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa if you are aged 18 to 30 and you are from:
- Australia
- Canada
- Monaco
- New Zealand
- San Marino
- Iceland
You must be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot before you can apply for your visa if you are from:
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- South Korea
- Taiwan
The ballot for Indian nationals under India Young Professional Scheme is not open yet.
You must also be aged 18 to 30 on the date you apply for your visa.
You can also apply if you’re 18 to 30 and a:
The applicant must be aged between 18 and 30 at the date of application.
Where the applicant is a national, citizen or rightful passport holder of one of the countries or territories listed in the following table of country-specific eligibility requirements, they must meet the requirements listed:
| 1 | Hong Kong Japan Republic of Korea Taiwan |
The applicant must: a) have been issued with an invitation to apply in accordance with the invitation to apply arrangements set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals; and b) have made their application within any time limit specified on that invitation to apply. |
| 2 | San Marino | The applicant must provide a letter confirming the applicant is a suitable candidate for the Youth Mobility Scheme from the Directorate of Political and Diplomatic Affairs of the Republic of San Marino Department of Foreign Affairs that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application. |
| 3 | Iceland | The applicant must provide a Criminal Certificate for Private Use that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application. |
| 4 | India | The applicant must: (a) have been issued with an invitation to apply in accordance with the invitation to apply arrangements set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals; and (b) have made their application within the period of time specified in that invitation to apply; and (c) provide the unique application number for that invitation to apply; and (d) provide a local police certificate or a police clearance certificate that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application; and (e) hold a qualification equal to or above RQF level 6. |
The number of places allocated to nationals or citizens of the same country, or rightful holders of a passport issued by the same territory, must not have exceeded the annual total allocation of places for that country or territory as set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals.
- The applicant must have funds of £ 2,530 and must show that they have held the required level of funds for a 28- day period and as specified in Appendix Finance.
- The applicant must not have any children aged under 18 who are either living with them or financially dependent upon them.
The Youth Mobility Scheme route is not a settlement route, meaning it does not lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). However, it is possible to switch from a Youth Mobility Scheme visa to another visa type from inside the UK, which may lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK. Dependents are not permitted to use the Youth Mobility Scheme visa route.
The applicant must be one of the following:
- a British Overseas Citizen (BOC), British Overseas Territories citizen (BOTC) or British National (Overseas) often referred as BNO; or
- a national or citizen of a country or the holder of a passport issued by a territory, listed in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals.
You cannot apply if you have:
- children under the age of 18 who live with you
- children you’re financially responsible for
- already been in the UK under the scheme
When you apply you will need to provide:
- a valid passport or other document that shows your identity and nationality
- a bank statement showing you have at least £2,530 in savings
- your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test
You need a blank page in your passport for your visa.
You’ll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.
You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.
If you are from Hong Kong, Japan, the Republic of Korea or Taiwan
You must provide a valid email from the Home Office confirming you were successful in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot.
If you are from San Marino
You must provide a letter from the Directorate of Political and Diplomatic Affairs of the Republic of San Marino Department of Foreign Affairs.
The letter must:
- confirm that you’re suitable for the Youth Mobility Scheme
- have been issued less than 6 months before you apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa
If you are from Iceland
You must provide an Icelandic Criminal Certificate for Private Use (called a Sakavottorð). It must have been issued less than 6 months before you apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa.
You must be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot before you can apply for your visa if you are from:
- Hong Kong, if you have an SAR passport
- Japan
- South Korea
- Taiwan
You do not need to enter the ballot if you are a British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territories Citizen or British National (Overseas).
India Young Professionals Scheme
There is a different ballot if you’re from India. The ballot for Indian nationals under India Young Professional Scheme is not open yet.
Ballots typically open in January and July each year. You enter the ballot by sending an email. Strictly only one ballot entry can be submitted per person. Any duplications will not be counted.
Make sure you meet all eligibility requirements for the visa before entering the ballot. Ballots will be open for 48 hours. All emails Home Office UKVI receives within this 48 hour period will be entered into the ballot. You will get an automated reply confirming your entry.
Most applicants are usually chosen during the January ballot and the remaining places are allocated in the July ballot.
Your email must be in English. The subject line of the email must include your:
- name
- date of birth
- passport number
Write these in the format: Lastname Firstname – DD/MM/YYYY – passport number.
Example subject line: Wong Janet – 31/03/2000 – 123456789
The body of the email must include your:
- name
- date of birth
- passport number
- mobile phone number
Emails received without this information or not in this format will not be considered by the Home Office UKVI under the Youth Mobility Scheme Ballot.
Hong Kong
800 ballot places will be available in January 2023.
Email HongKong.yms2023@fcdo.gov.uk between 00:01am (one minute past midnight) on Tuesday 17 January 2023 and 00:01am on Thursday 19 January 2023 (Hong Kong time) to enter the ballot.
Japan
800 ballot places will be available in January 2023.
Email Japan.yms2023@fcdo.gov.uk between 00:01am (one minute past midnight) on Tuesday 17 January 2023 and 00:01am on Thursday 19 January 2023 (Tokyo time) to enter the ballot.
South Korea
800 ballot places will be available in January 2023.
Email SouthKorea.yms2023@fcdo.gov.uk between 00:01am (one minute past midnight) on Tuesday 17 January 2023 and 00:01am on Thursday 19 January 2023 (Seoul time) to enter the ballot.
Taiwan
800 ballot places will be available in January 2023.
Email Taiwan.yms2023@fcdo.gov.uk between 00:01am (one minute past midnight) on Tuesday 17 January 2023 and 00:01am on Thursday 19 January 2023 (Taipei time) to enter the ballot.
You will receive an email by Friday 20 January if you were successful in the first ballot. Remember to check your junk inbox for any correspondence. You then have 30 days to submit your application and pay the visa fee. After you’ve paid, you’ll usually have 90 days to book your appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). This is where you will provide your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information). You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks of attending your appointment.
If your visa application is successful, you will have 90 days to enter the UK. Your visa will be valid for 2 years. If you cannot travel to the UK within 90 days, you’ll need to apply for an extension. You will not need to reapply for the visa. The expiry date of your visa will not change, including if your arrival in the UK has been delayed by coronavirus.
If you were unsuccessful in the first ballot, you will receive an email within 2 weeks of the ballot closing. You will be able to enter the second ballot when it opens in July 2023, if you meet the eligibility requirements.
