Youth Mobility Scheme visa
The Youth Mobility Scheme is a two-year work visa for people aged 18 to 30.
Primary page content
The Youth Mobility Scheme provides a cultural exchange programme that allows a person aged between 18 and 30 (or 18-35 for some nationalities), from participating countries and territories, to experience life in the UK for up to 2 years (or 3 years for some nationalities).
Who can apply
You can apply for the visa if you're aged 18 to 35 and from:
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- South Korea
You must be aged 18 or over when your visa starts, or 35 or under when you apply for it. You can apply for your visa before you turn 18 and you can be over 35 when it starts.
You can 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
You must also be aged 18 to 30 on the date you apply for your visa.
You can also apply if you’re aged 18 to 30 and you're a:
You must be aged 18 or over when your visa starts, or 30 or under when you apply for it. You can apply for your visa before you turn 18 and you can be over 30 when it starts.
Restrictions
You can only apply once for this visa unless you are an Australian, Canadian, or New Zealand national, where you are able to extend your permission for one year, and you cannot apply if you have previously held a visa under the Working Holidaymakers Scheme.
You also cannot apply if you have children (under 18) that live with you or whom you are financially responsible for. You cannot you bring family as your dependents, they would only be able to apply as a Standard Visitor if they wished to visit you in the UK.
Funds to support yourself
You must have at least £2,530 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK.
You will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row and day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa. You will need to show proof of the funds when making your visa application.
Applying
You need to apply from your Home Country, and you cannot make an application from within the UK. The application fee is currently £298, and you will also need to make the Immigration Health Surcharge payment - you can check how much you’ll have to pay
If you are from Taiwan or Hong Kong, you need to register your interest in the scheme and usually the registration is only open for a short period. If you’re successful, you’ll receive an email with your invitation to apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme. You then have 90 days to submit your application.
You will also need to obtain a certificate of sponsorship reference number and apply within 3 months of receiving this.