The UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa provides a unique opportunity to young individuals—especially from partner countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Korea to live, work, and explore the UK for up to two years. Designed to promote cultural exchange and global mobility, this visa allows young individuals from participating countries and territories who are aged 18 to 30 (or 18-35 for some nationalities) to take up employment in the UK, travel across the country, and gain significant international exposure.
Unlike many other UK visas, the Youth Mobility Scheme is an unsponsored visa, which means it does not require a prior job offer or employer sponsorship. That means you’re free to work in most jobs, be self-employed and set up a company, study, and experience British culture firsthand — all while enjoying the flexibility to travel.
The UK YMS (Youth Mobility Scheme) Visa is a strictly temporary visa allowing young individuals from specific countries to live, work, and explore the UK for up to 2 years. It is designed to promote cultural exchange, allow eligible nationals to earn income and gain personal and professional global experiences, and not just to provide a source of workers in the UK’s labour market.
This scheme was launched as part of the UK’s broader immigration and mobility initiatives and is reciprocal in nature. This means that British nationals also enjoy similar working holiday arrangements in partner countries. The YMS, unlike traditional UK work visas, does not require a job offer or sponsorship, making it an ideal choice for fresh graduates, explorers, and young professionals looking for global exposure.
This visa allows people to work in most jobs, travel as they wish within the UK, and even take short trips to Europe, all while immersing themselves in British life and culture. The YMS reflects the UK government’s commitment to fostering people-to-people contact with countries like Australia, New Zealand, and others under bilateral agreements.
Dependants of the main applicants are not allowed to apply for this route. The Youth Mobility Scheme is not a path to settlement in the UK.
People aged 18 to 35 from the following countries can apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme:
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
South Korea
On the other hand, people aged 18 to 30 from the following countries can also apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme:
Andorra
Iceland
Japan
Monaco
San Marino
Uruguay
People from Hong Kong (those with an SAR passport) and Taiwan, who are selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot, can also apply.
Also, those who are aged 18 to 30 and are British overseas citizens, British Overseas Territories citizens, or British nationals (overseas) can apply for YMS.
Scheme for Indian Nationals
There’s a different scheme for Indian nationals named the India Young Professionals Scheme visa, which is similar to the YMS with some differences.
The UK Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visa operates on a country-specific quota system. This means each eligible country is given only a limited visa slots annually. These annual quotas are decided by bilateral agreements between the UK and participating nations under the cultural and work exchange program.
The annual quota for Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visa allocations for 2025 is the following:
|
Country/Territory |
Number of Places (2025) |
|
Andorra |
100 |
|
Australia |
42,000 |
|
Canada |
10,000 |
|
Hong Kong |
1,000 |
|
Iceland |
1,000 |
|
India |
3,000 |
|
Japan |
6,000 |
|
Monaco |
1,000 |
|
New Zealand |
9,500 |
|
Republic of Korea |
5,000 |
|
San Marino |
1,000 |
|
Taiwan |
1,000 |
|
Uruguay |
500 |
For young Indian nationals, the India Young Professionals Scheme was opened recently under the UK-India Migration and Mobility Partnership, and the country had 3000 places available for this scheme in 2025.
Applicants for YMS from Taiwan and Hong Kong (with an SAR passport) must enter and be selected in the Youth Mobility ballot before they can apply for a YMS visa
The ballot system is used because the total number of YMS visa applicants from these two countries exceeds the annual quota. Therefore, ballot system is used to select applicants and ensure a fair distribution of the visa slots is available to young people from these countries with high demand.
The ballot typically opens twice a year, in January or February and July. The ballot is open for a limited time, usually 48 hours, during which applicants can submit their expressions of interest through an email online. After the ballot closes, successful applicants are chosen through a random selection process. The ballot results are final, and there are no appeals possible against them.
Those successful in the ballot will need to apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa within 90 days of receiving an email confirming your selection in the ballot.
There is a different ballot for people from India.
There are some common eligibility requirements and some country-specific requirements. Here are the common requirements each YMS visa applicant must fulfil, irrespective of which eligible country they are a citizen of.
A person must have applied for and obtained entry clearance for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa before they arrive in the UK.
An applicant seeking entry clearance under the YMS route must, if Appendix Tuberculosis applies, submit a valid medical certificate confirming that they have taken an active pulmonary tuberculosis test and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.
An applicant seeking entry clearance under the YMS route must not have previously spent time in the UK on this route.
The applicant must be 18 or over on the date their entry clearance will become valid.
Please note that any applicant who is a British Overseas citizen, British Overseas Territories citizen, or British National (Overseas) is not required to meet the above requirements.
Citizens of the following countries applying for the Youth Mobility Scheme are not required to satisfy any country-specific eligibility requirements.
Australia,
Canada,
Japan,
Monaco,
New Zealand or
The Republic of Korea.
Any applicant who is a British Overseas citizen, British Overseas Territories citizen or British National (Overseas) is also not required to meet any country specific requirements.
However, they must meet the financial requirements if they are applying for entry clearance.
Where the applicant is a national, citizen, or rightful passport holder of one of the other eligible countries or territories
They must meet the country-specific eligibility requirements listed below:
1. Hong Kong and Taiwan
The applicant must have:
a. Received an invitation to apply for YMS visa in accordance with the invitation to apply arrangements set out in ‘Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals’; and
b. Applied within any time limit specified on their invitation to apply.
2. San Marino
A citizen of San Mario applying for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa must provide a letter from the 'Directorate of Political and Diplomatic Affairs of the San Marino Department of Foreign Affairs' confirming that they are a suitable candidate for this visa. The letter must have been issued within 6 months before the date of application.
3. Iceland
The applicant must provide a ‘Criminal Certificate for Private Use’ issued within 6 months before the date of application.
4. Andorra
The applicant must provide a ‘Certificate of Criminal Records’ issued within 6 months before the date of application.
5. Uruguay
The applicant must provide a ‘Certificate of Judicial Records’ issued within 6 months before the date of application.
Those applying for entry clearance under the Youth Mobility Scheme must meet the below requirements:
They must have funds of at least £ 2,530 in their bank account.
They must show that they have held this fund for 28 days in a row and as specified in Appendix Finance.
They must not have any children under the age of 18, either living with the applicant or financially dependent upon them.
Financial conditions mentioned above do not apply to those applying for permission to stay on the Youth Mobility Scheme route.
A person who has applied for entry clearance under the YMS route will usually get a decision within 3 weeks of applying online, proving their identity, and providing the supporting documents.
If a person has applied to extend their YMS visa, they will usually get a decision on their application within 8 weeks. A person can only extend their visa once.
A person will be granted the Youth Mobility Scheme visa if the decision maker is satisfied that the applicant meets all the eligibility and suitability requirements; otherwise, their application will be refused.
A person who has been denied a YMS visa can apply for an Administrative Review under Appendix AR: Administrative Review.
Successful applicants for entry clearance will be granted permission for up to 2 years.
They can enter the UK at any time while their visa is valid, and leave and come back at any time during their stay.
If a person turns 31 after their visa is issued, they can stay in the UK for as long as their visa is valid.
If the applicant is a citizen of Australia, Canada, or New Zealand, they will be able to apply for permission to stay by one year after the 2-year period ends.
The UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders can work, study (subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS), and be self-employed, as long as they do not own the premises, other than their home, from which they run their business, their equipment is not worth more than £5,000, and they do not have any employees.
However, they cannot
Take up employment as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach)
Extend their stay unless they are from Australia, New Zealand, or Canada
Access public funds
Bring in family members, such as their partner or children, on their application. The family members must apply separately
Navigating a UK Youth Mobility Visa application in 2025 can be challenging, but you don't need to go through the process alone. With Visa and Migration’s extensive experience in UK immigration services, we simplify the YMS visa application process, help you avoid common mistakes, and provide personalised solutions best suited to your unique circumstances.
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