UK Youth Mobility Visa for Australians

The Youth Mobility Scheme is a working holiday visa that provides opportunities for young people looking to work or study in the UK and experience UK life and culture. This route allows you to come to the UK without Indefinite Leave to Remain status or British Citizenship.

You do not need to be employed or sponsored to apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa. You can also apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa as a British overseas territories citizen.

The route also allows you to study in the UK (some courses require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate), work in most professions, including as a self-employed professional, and start your own company.

Page Contents

• What is the UK Youth Mobility Visa, and Who is it For?
• What are the Requirements of the UK Youth Mobility Visa?
• How Much It Costs
• How to Apply for the UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa
• Application Processing Time
• UK Youth Mobility Visa and Possibilities to Extend Stay
• Benefits and Restrictions of UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa Holders
• Can I Switch From UK Youth Mobility Visa to Other Visas?
• Total Law’s Team Can Help
• FAQs

Australian citizens and British overseas citizens in Australia between the ages of 18-35 are eligible for the UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa. Other eligible countries in this bracket include New Zealand, Canada and South Korea.

Young adults aged 18-30 from any of the following countries are also eligible for the UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa:

• Andorra
• Iceland
• Japan
• Monaco
• San Marino
• Uruguay

To apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa, you must have £2,530 in savings. You must have the funds available for 28 successive days since applying for a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa.

If you have children under 18 who live with you and are financially dependent on you or have been on the scheme before, you cannot apply.

To be on the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa, there is an application fee of £298 plus an Immigration Health Surcharge of £776 per year to cover access to treatment via the National Health Service.

The total application fee for the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa (2 years), combined with the immigration health surcharge, is £1,850. All visa application fees must be paid online when you apply.

You should complete an online visa application form for the Youth Mobility Scheme.

As part of the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa application process, you also need to prove your identity for a biometric residence permit, which involves either

• Having your photograph and fingerprints taken at a visa application centre or
• Downloading the UK Immigration: ID Check app to prove your identity with a scanned document.

You must provide the following documents as part of your Youth Mobility Scheme Visa application:

• Valid passport (must have a blank page in your passport for your UK visa)
• Bank statement showing you have a minimum of £2,350 in savings to show that you are financially responsible (dated no more than a month before your application)
• A certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh

Once your application has been approved, you must collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) from the post office within ten days of entering the UK.

You will also need to apply for a National Insurance Number, a UK government tax file number that you will need to work in the UK.

After you have submitted your Youth Mobility Visa application, provided your documents of identification, and paid the visa application fee, it could take up to 3 weeks for the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to make a decision.

The Youth Mobility Scheme Visa enables you to live and work in the UK for up to 24 months. You can apply online for a visa extension of 1 year if you are from Australia, Canada, or New Zealand.

This must be done before the two years are up and up to 28 days before your Youth Mobility Scheme visa expires.

To qualify for a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa extension, you must be in the UK and be a valid Youth Mobility Scheme UK Visa holder.

You can only apply for an extension of your Youth Mobility Scheme Visa once, and you will need to pay the visa application fee of £298 plus the additional £776 to cover the Immigration Health Surcharge.

The Youth Mobility Scheme Visa is an excellent route for foreign nationals who wish to experience living and working abroad for a limited time with few restrictions.

Working holiday visas such as the UK Youth Mobility Visa are the easiest way to work in the UK, and you do not need a job offer to apply. You can also apply for the Youth Mobility visa if you are a British overseas citizen.

A Youth Mobility Scheme Visa permits access to National Health Service (NHS) services, and you can leave and re-enter the UK as often as you like during your stay while on the Youth Mobility Scheme.

There are some limitations with the Youth Mobility Scheme, however. You cannot work as a sports coach or professional sportsperson on a UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa.

You can switch from the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa to a Skilled Worker Visa, which allows you to stay in the UK for up to 5 years. If you wish to switch from a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa to a Skilled Worker route, you must be over 18 at the time of your visa start date.

To be on the Skilled Worker visa, you must have sponsorship from an employer with a valid Certificate of Sponsorship. You must be in the UK at the time of application, and the job offer must be for a genuine vacancy at the appropriate skill level.

If switching from a Skilled Worker Visa to another UK visa, you must meet the English language and maintenance requirements and have at least £1,270 in your UK bank account. You must have had the money available in your UK bank account for a mimimum of 28 consecutive days.