Youth Mobility Scheme visa

The Youth Mobility Scheme is a two-year work visa for people aged 18 to 30.

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Who can apply

  • 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’re from

  • Hong Kong
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan

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:

Restrictions

You can only apply once for this visa, 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 General 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 £259, 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 Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan or Hong Kong, you need to register your interest in the scheme and usually the registration is only open for a short period. You will also need to obtain a certificate of sponsorship reference number and apply within 3 months of receiving this.

GOV.UK has full details on how to apply.