How to Apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa

The Youth Mobility Scheme visa (YMS) is your golden ticket to life in London (and the UK).

If you’re thinking about moving to London from outside of the United Kingdom and you don’t own a British passport, the YMS visa is likely your safest and most straightforward avenue into the country.

The YMS is intended to give young workers an opportunity to live and work in the UK for two years – with a trigger to extend an additional year for Australian, New Zealand and Canadian citizens.

Important Information – Visa Requirements

• Applicants between the ages of 18-35 (18-30 for some countries)
• You are a resident of an eligible country or territory
• Have £2,530 in savings
• You have to apply for the visa OUTSIDE of the UK
• Pay the application fee (currently £298) and the healthcare surcharge (around £776 per year)
• You have never been in the UK under the scheme
• You cannot have children under the age of 18 who live with you or children you’re financially responsible for

Apply Online

To begin your application, visit this link and familiarise yourself with their advice before clicking through to the ‘apply online’ section.   

Be sure to prepare the necessary documents before you begin the application.

You will need:

• Passport: with a blank page available for your vignette
• Bank statement: provide documented evidence that you meet the minimum financial requirements
• Other documents: depending on your nationality, additional documentation may be necessary.

Booking a Biometrics Appointment

Early in the application, you will be asked to provide the location from where you will have your biometric identifiers submitted (fingerprints and photograph).

You will also be asked to submit any supporting documents at this appointment.

If you’re lucky enough to live near a participating visa application centre (VAC), the process will be simple. If you are required to travel a significant distance, or there are no centres near you, this may be slightly more complicated.

The visa centre will hold your passport while reviewing your application, we recommend you do not plan any overseas travel whilst in the midst of this process. If you absolutely need your passport, you can pay a fee to keep it.

Collect your Passport

Once your biometric information has been processed and your visa application approved, a vignette will be glued to a blank page in your passport and mailed back to your chosen address.

A decision on your application generally takes up to 3 weeks but is subject to variation. For many, the turnaround is quicker, but for the unlucky few, it can take longer.

If you elected to keep your passport, you have to return to your nominated VAC to have the vignette attached.

As there is often a backlog of passports being processed, you will be asked to drop your passport off and notified via email or SMS when it is ready to be collected.  

Typically, your passport will be ready for pick-up on the same day (depending on when you drop it off) but delays aren’t uncommon. Keep this in mind when planning your travel.

Get to the UK

The vignette is valid for 90 days.

If you don’t arrive in the UK within the 90-day period outlined on your vignette, you risk losing visa status and will be forced to apply for a replacement vignette.

Changes to Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)

Traditionally, visa recipients would pick up their physical residence permit (BRP) from their nominated post office 10 days after arriving in the UK.

The physical card is being discontinued and replaced by eVisas from 31 December 2024.

To get access to your eVisa you need to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. 

Once you have access to your eVisa, you can sign in to your UKVI account to view your eVisa and prove your immigration status.

Begin your Life in London

Once you receive your visa, you are free to work and study in the United Kingdom.

Things to remember

• You cannot work as a professional sportsperson or coach under the YMS visa
• The duration of each step can vary, allow yourself a generous amount of time to avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety
• Exercise care when completing your application, even small mistakes can cause delays and potentially cost you money
• You can’t complete a YMS visa application from within the UK. We strongly recommend organising your visa before arriving in the UK for this reason
• You can apply from up to 6 months before you travel to the UK
• Be sure of when you will arrive in the UK before applying as you will be asked to select the date your visa takes effect.
• Once you have selected the country you will be applying for the Visa FROM, you will be unable to change it. Ensure you will be in the selected country – or able to travel to and from there easily – for the duration of the application.
• If you do decide you want to apply for a YMS visa while already in London/UK, we recommend choosing a country you would be comfortable staying in for the duration of the application process (or visiting multiple times) as you will be stuck there.

Ready to take the next step?

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