Youth Mobility Visa UK
The Youth Mobility Scheme visa is available for young people aged 18 – 30 who wish to live, work and travel in the UK for up to two years. This scheme is open to young professionals from certain countries who wish to return to their home country with a new set of talents.
If you have any questions regarding the Youth Mobility Scheme such as how to navigate the application process, contact one of our expert immigration attorneys today. You can call us on +44 (0) 333 305 9375 or contact us online seven days a week via our live chat.
Page Content:
- What are the eligibility requirements for the Youth Mobility Scheme?
- What nationalities are eligible for the T5 Youth Mobility Visa?
- What are the financial requirements for this visa?
- What can you do in the UK under the Youth Mobility Scheme?
- What is the application process?
- How much is the visa application fee for the Youth Mobility Scheme?
- Can my dependents join me in the UK?
- How to extend your Youth Motability Scheme
- Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility Requirements for Youth Mobility Scheme Visa
The eligibility requirements for the Youth Mobility Scheme is as follows:
- You must be between the ages of 18 to 30.
- If you’re from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Korea, you may be eligible for aged between 18 to 35.
- Intend to live and work in the United Kingdom for up to 2 years
- Have a minimum of £2530 in your bank account
- Be a national from one of eight countries enrolled in this Scheme, or you hold any type of British citizenship.
- Have not previously spent time in the United Kingdom under any other working or studying scheme
- Do not have children under the age of 18 who are living with you or are financially dependent upon you
- Have received a valid sponsorship certificate
Applicants from specific countries may be required to meet additional requirements
What countries are eligible for the T5 Youth Mobility Visa?
Nationals from the following countries are allowed to apply for the Youth Mobility Visa:
- Andorra
- Australia
- Canada
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Japan
- Monaco
- New Zealand
- San Marino
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Uruguay
The Youth Mobility Visa is also available for those who are British Overseas Territories citizens or British overseas nationals.
Financial Requirements for UK Youth Mobility Visa
Applicants for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa must be able to prove that they can financially support themselves while in the UK. To prove that you meet the financial requirements for this scheme, you must submit the following supporting documents as evidence:
- Personal bank account with the banks official stationery or bearing the official stamp of the financial organization
- Saving account proof
- Letter(s) from your bank or a financial institution confirming funds.
Additional accounts, investments, shares, bonds, credit cards, and pension funds are not acceptable as proof of savings.
What you can do under the UK Youth Mobility Scheme?
Through the Youth Mobility Scheme, you are permitted to:
- Study (For some courses, you’ll need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate)
- Work in most jobs
- Be self-employed and/or establish a company. However, your office/premises must be rented and your business equipment can not be worth more than £5,000 and can not have any employees
You are not permitted to:
- Work as a professional sportsperson (for example as a coach)
- Extend your stay
- Access public funds
- Access public benefits
- Bring family members on your application (They would be required to apply separately)
How to apply for Youth Mobility Visa UK?
To apply for the youth mobility visa scheme, the application is done online. There are a series of questions it will take you through, to determine your eligibility.
You are permitted to submit your Youth Mobility Scheme application up to 6 months before the time you plan to enter the UK. Typically, it takes the UK Government’s Home Office three weeks to make their decision on your application.
However, it is possible to get an expedition decision through the optional priority service to get your decision available within five working days, or super-priority service, to receive a verdict from the Home Office by the end of the next working day.
A critical part of the application is proving your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.
Option 1:
Have your fingerprints and photograph (biometrics) taken at a visa application centre near your home.
If you do require an appointment, the youth mobility visa application centre may need to keep your passport and documents while they process your application, and you may have to travel to get to your nearest visa application centre (this could be in another country).
Option 2:
Use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document – you’ll also create or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.
There are several documents you will need to provide in addition to the online application. They are as follows:
- A valid passport or another document that shows your identity and nationality. There needs to be one blank page in your passport for your visa.
- A bank statement proving that you have at least £2530 in savings in your bank account
- Your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test
- You may be asked to provide further documents, depending on your circumstances.
If any of your documents are not in English or Welsh, you will need to have them translated by a certified translation centre.
If your application is approved, you’ll be permitted to live and work in the UK for up to 24 months (2 years). You will also have the permission to enter the UK anytime during your visa’s validity and are free to leave, travel and come back at any time during your visa’s validity.
If you do turn 31 while you’re in the UK, you can stay for as long as your visa is valid.
Youth Mobility Visa Cost
The application fee for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa is £319. In addition to application fees, there are other cost applicant needs to know before apply.
- Immigration Health Surcharge – £776. All Youth Mobility Visa applicants will have to pay the IHS. This is a mandatory charge and must be paid upfront for each year of your visa duration.
- Priority processing may expedite your application to get a response in 5 days. This optional service costs £500.
- Super priority processing reduces the response time to 2 days, and costs £1000.
- There may be additional fees for acquiring biometrics and any health test/vaccines.
- You are also required to prove to the UK government that you have a minimum of £2530 in your savings account to show you can provide for yourself sufficiently.
Youth Mobility Visa Processing Time
It typically takes 3 weeks to process a Youth Mobility Visa from outside the UK. During peak times, or if your application needs further investigation, your application may be delayed. You can apply up to 6 months in advance of your trip, so it is best to apply as soon as you can.
Youth Mobility Scheme Ballot System
Applicants from Hong Kong or Taiwan must enter a ballot system must enter a ballot system, which typically opens for 48 hours in January and July.
Can dependents join you in UK on Youth Mobility Visa?
Your dependents (legal spouse/civil partner and children) are not permitted to enter in the UK with the holder of the Youth Mobility Scheme visa.
Those who are married or have a civil partnership are encouraged to also apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme. However, your spouse or partner cannot enter the United Kingdom as your dependant and will instead, have to enter the UK on their own right, visa, or permit to which they are in the capacity that they are eligible.
It should be noted, that if you happen to give birth while you’re living in the UK with a Youth Mobility Scheme, the child does not automatically become a British citizen. You will have to apply online for the child’s visa as your dependant. This step is imperative if you want to travel in and out of the UK with your child. When applying, it will be necessary to prove a full UK birth certificate for each child, showing the names of both parents.
Comparing the UK Youth Mobility Visa with other visa types
The Youth Mobility Visa is a great option for working or doing business in the UK if you are under 30, or 35 for some countries. However, there are certain limitations. If you are looking to stay in the UK long-term and pave the way for permanent residence and British Citizenship, the Youth Mobility Visa offers no direct benefit because it is ineligible for contributing to Indefinite Leave to Remain status.
Even after your visa has expired, you will need to live and work on an eligible visa for 5 years, in most cases. The Student Visa also has similar restrictions, as it is too ineligible to be counted towards time in the UK for Indefinite Leave to Remain, except the Long Residency route, which allows those who have lived in the UK on various visas to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Both routes do offer the opportunity for gainful employment in the UK afterwards, dependent on the time and application you dedicate to your career prospects in the UK. If you qualify for a Skilled Worker Visa, either as an alternative to the Youth Mobility Visa, or after your Youth Mobility Visa, you may qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 5 years.
Skilled Worker Visa
- You must have a salary over £38,700 in a qualifying job role or be paid over the ‘going rate’ for the job role, whichever is higher.
- You must be sponsored by a UK employer who have offered you a job role in a field you are qualified for.
- You may be able to bring dependents if you can financially support them, on a Skilled Worker Dependent Visa
- You can qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 5 years of continuously living and working in the UK under this visa
Student Visa
- You must have an offer from an accredited UK University or Higher Education Provider (HEP)
- You can only work for up to 20 hours per week, and more in holidays. This is not the primary focus of the visa, so your main purpose of stay must be to study in the UK
- You cannot qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years on a Student Visa, however, you may qualify for a Graduate Trainee Visa upon completing your studies. You may qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain via long residency if your total legal residence in the UK is 10 years or more.
Comparing the UK Youth Mobility Scheme with global schemes
| Country | Scheme | Eligibility | Eligible Countries | Work Rights | Length of Stay |
| UK | Youth Mobility Scheme | Citizens aged 18–30 from specific countries. Must have £2530 in savings and apply from outside the UK. | Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Taiwan | Unrestricted right to work, except professional sports or long-term self-employment. | 2 years (Non-renewable) |
| Australia | Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) | Citizens aged 18–30 (or 35 for some countries). Must meet health and financial requirements. | Many European countries, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Taiwan, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay. | Work rights restricted to 6 months per employer (can be extended). | 1 year initially, extendable up to 3 years with agricultural work. |
| New Zealand | Working Holiday Scheme | Citizens aged 18–30 (or 35 for some countries). Must have NZ$4,200 in savings. | Citizens from over 40 countries including the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Argentina. | Unrestricted work rights (except permanent positions not allowed). | 12 months, extendable to 23 months for UK citizens. |
| Canada | International Experience Canada (IEC) | Citizens aged 18–35 from partner countries. Requires proof of funds. | Australia, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, UK, and others. | Work rights depend on stream. Working Holiday stream allows open work permits. | Up to 2 years (depends on the applicant’s nationality). |
| U.S. | J-1 Visa (Work and Travel Program) | Students aged 18–30. Must be enrolled in a full-time educational program outside the U.S. | Many countries including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, Spain. | Restricted to seasonal or temporary work (e.g., summer camp, hospitality). Full-time permanent work not allowed. | 4 months for work (extendable for internships or other exchange programs). |
Extend your Youth Mobility Scheme visa in UK
The Youth Mobility scheme visa can only be extended if you’re from New Zealand, Canada or Australia.
If you’re eligible, you will be able to extend your Youth Mobility visa by one year when you’ve spent full two years in the UK with it. You should submit your application for extension no more than 28 days before your current visa’s expiry date.
You can only extend your visa once.
Extending a Youth Mobility Scheme visa costs £319. You will also have to pay £776 for the immigration healthcare surcharge.
For other applicants from other countries, the only way to continue to stay in the UK will be applying for another UK visa before your current visa expires.
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Frequently Asked Questions
You may only apply one time for the Youth Mobility Scheme. If you have entered the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme visa previously, you are not able to apply for it again.
For example, if you come to the UK for three months through the Youth Mobility Scheme and then decide to leave and go home for 3 years, you are not permitted to apply and enter the UK through the same category.
If you successfully applied for the visa but never entered the UK (and therefore never activated it), you are allowed to apply for another Youth Mobility Scheme visa. However, you will be required to pay the fee again.
No, you do not have to have a job offer to apply for UK Youth mobility scheme visa.
All the countries that make up the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland allow you to live and work on on Youth mobility scheme visa.
Yes, you are allowed to apply until you turn 31 in order to submit your online Youth Mobility Scheme visa application.
