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Youth Mobility Scheme - Working Holiday

The Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme replaces the UK Working Holiday Visa programme.  The Youth Mobility Scheme is for young people who want to live, work and travel in the United Kingdom for a period of up to two years.

The Youth Mobility Scheme is only open to countries which have a special reciprocal agreement with the United Kingdom.  The list of countries participating in the scheme is much smaller than the list of countries participating in the original UK Working Holiday programme.

Currently, only passport holders from the following countries are eligible to apply under the UK Youth Mobility Scheme:

Application Process

To apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme you must score 50 on a points based assessment process.

Points are allocated in the following way:

Attribute Points
Nationality 30
Age 10
Maintenance 10

You will score 30 points if you are from any of the countries listed above or if you are:

To score the 10 points for the age attribute you must be:

To score the 10 points in the maintenance attribute, you must have access to at least £1,800 in cash funds. Your funds will be assessed at the time of your application.

Visa Conditions

The conditions for Youth Mobility Visa holders are similar to those under the Working Holiday programme.

Applicants must not previously have entered or spent time in the United Kingdom on a Working Holiday Visa, or a Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa in the past.  Applicants must also have the funds to support themselves when they arrive in the UK.

Visa holders are allowed to stay in the United Kingdom for up to two years and can work for the full two-year period.

There are no restrictions on the kind of work that visa holders can undertake, except that they cannot set up their own business, work in professional sports, or work as a trainee doctor.

Unlike other work permit categories, Youth Mobility Scheme applicants do not need a sponsor in the UK.

If you have any questions, or if you wish to apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme, please request a call from a UK Visa Bureau Migration Consultant.