Youth Mobility Visa

Youth Mobility Visa

The UK’s youth mobility visa scheme allows eligible workers under the age of 30 to experience life in the UK for up to two years, while for nationals of New Zealand, the scheme has been extended to those aged 18 to 35 to work in the UK for up to three years.

Compared with other UK work visas, the scheme offers a more flexible and accessible immigration route for younger workers, as it does not require the applicant to be sponsored, or to have a job, or to meet skills or salary thresholds.

Youth mobility visa requirements 

The eligibility criteria for a youth mobility visa are set out under Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme of the UK’s Immigration Rules. A young person can apply for this type of visa if they’d like to come to the UK on a short-term basis and they satisfy the following requirements:

1.    The nationality requirement

The applicant must be either a British Overseas Citizen, a British Overseas Territories Citizen or a British National (Overseas) — or be from one of eleven countries or territories, including: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Monaco, San Marino, Iceland, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and India.
 

2.    The age requirement

An applicant must be aged 18 or over on the date their entry clearance will become valid, and aged 30 or under when they apply for their youth mobility visa.
Under extended provisions, Australian, South Korean, New Zealand and Canadian nationals aged between 18 to 35 can now come to the UK for up to three years under the scheme.
 

3.    The maintenance requirement

The applicant must have at least £2,530 in cash savings held in either a current or savings account to show that they can support themselves while in the UK. They’ll need to have had the money available in their account for at least 28 days in a row, where day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for the youth mobility visa.
 

4.    Additional eligibility requirements under the rules

An applicant won’t qualify for a youth mobility visa if they have children under the age of 18 who live with them or are financially dependent on them, or they’ve already lived in the UK under the scheme. An applicant can also be refused a visa under the general grounds for refusal, for example, if they’ve been convicted of a serious offence or previously breached UK immigration laws.
The UK government allocates a set number of youth mobility visas for each country or territory on an annual basis. Any applications exceeding this annual allocation won’t qualify, whether or not the other requirements have been met — although there’s no limit for British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territories Citizens and British Nationals (Overseas).

What work can youth mobility visa holders do?

Under the conditions of stay, the youth mobility visa holder will be free to undertake most forms of paid or unpaid employment in the UK without sponsorship, except as a professional sportsperson or sports coach. Visa holders can also work on a self-employed basis, provided they don’t own any premises from which they carry out a business, except home, the total value of any equipment used isn’t worth more than £5,000 and they don’t employ anyone.

In addition to work, a young person under the youth mobility scheme can undertake privately-funded studies, either on a full or part-time basis, although for some courses they may need to obtain an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. Visa holders will not be permitted to access public funds while in the UK, to support their studies or otherwise.

As part of the youth mobility visa application process, an applicant will need to provide a number of documents, including:

• a valid passport or another travel document to prove their identity and nationality
• a bank statement showing that they’ve at least £2,530 in cash savings
• a valid medical certificate confirming that they’ve undergone screening for tuberculosis, if from a country where they have to take the test,

All those applying for a youth mobility visa will have to pay a set Home Office application fee and applicants will also be liable to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) as part of their application. The IHS is set at £470 per year of leave granted, equating to £940 for a 2-year visa. This will need to be paid up front, but will then allow the successful visa holder to access the NHS in the UK for the duration of their stay.

The Youth mobility visa, gives the Applicant permission to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years. During this period they’ll be able to enter and leave the UK at any time. Even if the visa holder turns 31 while they’re in the UK, they can stay for the length of time that their visa remains valid.

Can you apply to extend the youth mobility visa?

Under the rules, it isn’t possible to extend the youth mobility visa beyond its validity period. This means that if a visa holder wants to live in the UK for longer, they’ll either need to switch to a different category of visa from within the UK, or return to their country of origin to apply for a different visa from outside the UK.

Unfortunately, applicants can only come to the UK under the youth mobility scheme route once. This route is not a path to settlement, and applicants cannot bring their dependants.

Need help with a Youth Mobility Application?

As a team of immigration lawyers and former Home Office employees, we have an established reputation for effective and efficient management of UK visa applications, and for providing expert visa-related advice. For expert advice and support with your UK application, contact us at 0333 772 0409 or e-mail us at privateimmigration@duncanlewis.com / businessimmigration@duncanlewis.com.