Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Monaco, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, San Marino, Iceland and India have quotas on the number of places available each year on the Youth Mobility Scheme. Places will be allocated as follows in 2022:

• Australia – 30,000 places
• New Zealand – 13,000 places
• Canada – 6,000 places
• Japan – 1,500 places
• Iceland – 1,000 places
• India – 3,000 places
• Monaco – 1,000 places
• Taiwan – 1,000 places
• Hong Kong – 1,000 places
• Republic of Korea – 1,000 places
• San Marino – 1,000 places

Neither British Overseas, British Overseas Territories, nor British Nationals (Overseas) are restricted from applying for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa.

National (Overseas) national.

The Youth Mobility Scheme only opens to nationals, citizens, and rightful passport holders of Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, or Taiwan who have been issued with an invitation and who have applied within the specified period.

As a citizen, national or rightful passport holder of San Marino, you will need to provide a letter from the Directorate of Political and Diplomatic Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of San Marino confirming that you are a suitable candidate for the Youth Mobility Scheme. A letter must be issued within 6 months of the date of application.

Icelandic nationals, citizens or rightful passport holders must provide a Criminal Certificate for Private Use issued no more than 6 months before the date of application.

If you are a national, citizen, or rightful holder of an Indian passport, you must:

• A Youth Mobility Scheme application invitation was sent to you;
• applied within the timeframe specified on the invitation;
• provided your unique application number for that invitation;
• Provide a local police certificate or police clearance certificate issued no more than six months before the date of your application; and

Either: (i) hold a qualification equal to or above RQF level 6 and have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a role equivalent to an eligible occupation listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations; or (ii) have a qualification equal to or above RQF level 6 and provide specific evidence of that experience.

You must apply for a ballot if you are a national, citizen or rightful passport holder of Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong (if you hold a SAR passport), the Republic of Korea or India.

To apply for entry clearance under the Youth Mobility Scheme, applicants must submit an expression of interest to the Home Office. From the pool of applicants, the Home Office then selects randomly who will be invited to apply for entry clearance.

Each year, ballots are open for 48 hours between January and July. If your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application is approved, you have 30 days to submit it.

To be considered successful in the ballot, nationals of the above-mentioned countries must (a) have received an invitation to apply; and (b) have submitted their applications within the time period specified in their invitation.

Your application must be accompanied by funds of £2,530 that you have held for a 28-day period within the 31 days preceding it.

Children under the age of 18 must not live with you or be financially dependent on you.

You will be able to enter the United Kingdom and remain there for a period of up to two years if your application for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa is approved.

During this period, you will be able to enter and leave the United Kingdom at any time. You may remain in the UK until the end of your visa validity if you turn 31 while you are there.

The Youth Mobility Scheme allows you to work in the UK, except if you are a professional sportsperson or coach. As a self-employed person, however, you must not have any employees, own any equipment you use for the business for less than £5,000, and have no premises where you carry out your business (except for your home). 

Additionally, you will be allowed to study. In any case, you will be subject to the conditions of the Academic Technology Approval Scheme unless you are an Australian, Canadian, Japanese, New Zealand, or Republic of Korea citizen. Some subjects in the UK require a certificate in order to be studied at the postgraduate level.

You will not be able to access public funds.

You may be able to switch to another immigration category before the expiration of your Youth Mobility Scheme visa, for example the Skilled Worker route or the Start-up route. If you wish to settle in the UK, our immigration lawyers can advise on possible long-term immigration routes.

Our expert legal team are highly experienced in assisting with the below services (where the option has been made available by UKVI and is considered appropriate)

New Applications – We can help you assess the merits, challenges and solutions to any issues arising whilst making a new application for the Youth Mobility Scheme

Legal Representations – Where applicable, if you find yourself in an unusual or challenging situation and want the Home Office to take notice of your special circumstances to ensure that you are treated fairly and your rights are respected, our expert team can make both oral and written persuasive legal representations.

Challenge a Refusal – If your application has been refused, we can consider your refusal for free and advise on the best course of action.

Administrative Review – Home Office or Immigration Rules can be challenged if the decision-maker failed to follow them correctly.

Judicial Review – If your application was denied illegally, unreasonable or procedurally improperly, our immigration lawyers can apply for Judicial Review and represent you at the Judicial Review hearing.

Appeal an Unfair Decision – The decision to refuse your application may provide you with a right of appeal to the First Tier Tribunal. Our expert lawyers can advise you on and handle Appeals before the Immigration & Asylum Chamber (First Tier & Upper Tribunal)