The Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) allows young people aged 18–30 (or 18–35 for certain nationalities) from participating countries to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years. No job offer or sponsorship is required, and there are no restrictions on the type of work you can do.
The YMS is available to nationals of: Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, Iceland, India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Andorra, Uruguay, and certain British overseas territories. Each country has an annual quota.
Age — 18 to 30 (or 35 for some countries) at the time of application.
Savings — At least £2,530 available.
No dependants — You cannot bring dependants on this visa.
Not previously held a YMS visa.
2 years. Cannot be extended. You can switch to another visa route (such as Skilled Worker) from within the UK if eligible.
We advise eligible applicants on the ballot process (where applicable), application preparation, and planning a long-term immigration route beyond the YMS period.