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Pathway

UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa

United Kingdom Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

The Youth Mobility Scheme lets eligible young people live and work in the UK for two years without an employer sponsor. Australians, Canadians, and New Zealanders can apply for one extra year. Eligibility depends on your citizenship or listed British nationality. This temporary visa does not itself lead to permanent residence.

Citizenship and age
A listed nationality; ages 18–30 or 18–35 depending on nationality
Funds
£2,530 held for 28 days
Limits
No previous use; dependent-child restrictions and some nationality-specific ballots apply

Summary

This is a temporary UK cultural-exchange route for eligible young adults. It does not require a job offer, but it is not a permanent-residence route and cannot be used if the applicant has already been in the UK under the scheme.

Passport-specific rules determine entry and any third year
  1. Check age, nationality, and selection requirements Use the current rules for the applicant’s exact passport.
  2. Prepare funds and apply outside the UK Meet the required holding period and budget the visa fee and health surcharge.
  3. Plan for expiry or an eligible extension Only the specified nationalities can apply for the third year, while their permission remains valid.

The scheme is temporary and has no direct settlement route. A higher age limit does not necessarily include a third-year extension.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

Applicants from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea are eligible at ages 18 to 35. Those from Andorra, Iceland, Japan, Monaco, San Marino and Uruguay, and British overseas citizens, BOTCs and BN(O)s, use ages 18 to 30. Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan applicants in that age band must first win a ballot; the 2026 ballots are closed, and the official ballot page will publish the next dates. Japanese and South Korean nationals no longer need ballots.

The applicant needs £2,530 held for 28 days and cannot previously have used YMS, have a child under 18 living with them, or be financially responsible for such a child. Nationality-specific sponsorship or evidence rules can apply.

What This Route Allows

The two-year grant permits most work, study and limited self-employment. Self-employment normally requires rented premises, equipment worth no more than £5,000 and no employees. Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders can apply once inside the UK for one additional continuous year. The visa fee is £340 plus IHS.

What This Route Is Not

South Korean nationals have the higher age limit but not the third-year extension. The route does not allow dependents, professional-sportsperson work or public funds and is not a direct settlement route. India uses its separate degree-and-ballot scheme.

Next Steps

  1. Check age, passport and any country-specific selection rule on the current eligible-national appendix.
  2. Prepare 28-day funds and do not enter a closed or wrong ballot.
  3. Budget the visa fee and full IHS and apply outside the UK.
  4. If eligible for a third year, apply in the UK while YMS permission is still valid; otherwise plan an independent switch before expiry.

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Similar youth mobility pathways in other destinations.

Sources