If you are aged between 18 and 30 (or 18 to 35, depending on where you're from) and you're looking to live and work in England for up to two years, the is the best visa option for you. Find out if you qualify for this program and how to apply.
What is the Youth Mobility Scheme?
With this scheme, you can stay for up to two years in the country and can apply as long as you have £2,530 in savings. This visa type also allows you to start your own business in England and study without any limits. During this period, you can travel to and from England without any restrictions.
Important:
The Youth Mobility Scheme was created to help young people gain international experience and learn about life in England firsthand. Its primary intention is not to offer work permits or act as an immigration route to the country.
Nationalities that qualify for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa
You can if you're aged 18 to 35 and from:
- Australia;
- Canada;
- New Zealand;
- South Korea.
Those from Australia, Canada or New Zealand can extend their stay by one year after the two-year period ends for this visa.
You can also apply for the visa if you're aged 18 to 30 and from:
- Andorra;
- Iceland;
- Japan;
- Monaco;
- San Marino;
- Uruguay.
You must be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot before you can apply for your visa if you're from:
- Hong Kong, if you have an SAR passport,
- Taiwan.
Additionally, if you're aged 18 to 30 and you're a British overseas citizen, a British overseas territories citizen, or a British national (overseas), you can apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme.
For example, British overseas citizens born in Hong Kong after 1 July 1997 (when Hong Kong's sovereignty returned to China) and one of their parents was a British national (overseas) or British Overseas citizen when they were born. British Overseas citizens hold a British passport but do not have the right to live or work in the UK by default.
Good to know:
You no longer need to enter the ballot if you're a Japanese or South Korean national. Instead, apply via the at any time.
How to enter the ballot
You enter the ballot by sending an email. Only one ballot entry can be submitted per person, so any duplicates will not be counted. Ballots are open for 48 hours, and you'll receive an automated reply confirming your entry.
Your email address must be in English, and 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.
The body of your email should include the following:
- your name;
- date birth;
- passport number;
- mobile phone number.
Once you have sent the email, you will be given a date by which you should find out whether your application has been successful.
If successful, you will have 30 days to pay for your visa application. After receiving the payment, you will have 90 days to book an appointment at your visa application centre and submit your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application.
A decision on your visa application should arrive within three weeks of attending the appointment and providing your biometric information (i.e., fingerprints and a passport-sized photo taken). You will have 90 days to travel to the UK from the day you receive your visa.
Good to know:
If you are unsuccessful in the ballot, you can apply again when the ballot reopens (January or July).
Are you from India? There's a different scheme—check if you're eligible for the .
How to apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa
The earliest you can apply for this visa is six months before you travel. For example, you can apply from 16 January if you plan to travel on 15 July.
As part of your application, you'll need to prove your identity and provide the relevant documents. You might need to plan extra time if you need an appointment to do this—you'll find out if this is the case when you begin your application.
You will need to pay the application fee of £319, pay the healthcare surcharge (which is around £776 a year), and prove that you have enough personal savings (£2,530).
You will also have to produce the following:
- your passport;
- a bank statement showing that you have at least £2,530 as savings;
- results from a tuberculosis test if you reside in one of the .
You'll also need to provide a of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.
Once your application is submitted, you'll usually get a decision on your visa within three weeks. If successful, you'll receive with further instructions on how to prove your immigration status and next steps.
Good to know:
If you have a child while you are in England with a Youth Mobility Scheme visa, they do not automatically get British citizenship.
Your rights and responsibilities under the Youth Mobility Scheme
Once in England with a Youth Mobility Scheme visa, you can study, be employed in most sectors, and be self-employed, as long as you work from home, your equipment doesn't exceed the cost of £5,000, and you don't have any employees.
On the other hand, you cannot work as a professional sportsperson (e.g., as a coach), extend your stay, claim benefits (e.g., jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit, disability living allowance, etc.), or bring family members and dependents to the UK.
Extending your visa under the Youth Mobility Scheme visa
As mentioned above, you can only apply to extend your Youth Mobility Scheme visa if you're from Australia, Canada or New Zealand. You can extend your visa for one year, which will be valid from the day after your original visa ends. This can only be done once, too.
To extend it, you'll need to pay the £319 application fee again as well as the £776 immigration health surcharge.
Youth Mobility Scheme visa rejection
Like any other visa, the Youth Mobility Scheme visa can be rejected on several grounds.
Here are some of the most common reasons for rejection:
- A deportation order;
- Character grounds;
- Criminality grounds;
- A sham marriage or civil partnership;
- Submission of false documents or incorrect information;
- History of breach of immigration laws;
- Failure to provide the required information;
- Using the UK to enter another part of the Common Travel Area (i.e., the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands);
- Medical grounds;
- History of a customs breach.
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
