Guidance

Youth Mobility Scheme caseworker guidance (accessible)

Updated 31 January 2024

Version 23.0

About this guidance‌

This guidance tells you how to consider applications from people who wish to come to or, where eligible, stay in the UK under the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) route. This includes applicants for the India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) who will use the YMS application form.

This route is for young people from participating countries or territories who wish to experience life in the UK.

This guidance is designed to be used alongside Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme of the Immigration Rules. The rules explain the requirements an applicant must meet, and this guidance provides additional information on how to consider their application. Paragraph references refer to Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme unless otherwise stated.

Contacts‌

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you, or you think that the guidance has factual errors, then you can email the Economic Migration Policy team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance then you can email the Guidance Rules and Forms team.

Publication‌

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:

• version 23.0
• published for Home Office staff on 31 January 2024

Changes from last version of this guidance‌

This guidance is being updated to reflect the enhancements to the youth mobility arrangements with Australia, Canada and the Republic of Korea. For these countries, the eligible age range citizens can apply from will increase from 18-30 to 18-35. Australian and Canadian citizens will also be eligible to extend their visa by an additional year. Citizens of Japan and the Republic of Korea will no longer need an invitation to apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa. This guidance is also being updated to give details of the new arrangements with Andorra and Uruguay.

For archived versions of this guidance see: Youth Mobility Scheme archive.

Validity requirements‌

This section tells you about the validity requirements under the Youth Mobility Scheme route (YMS).

Before considering suitability and eligibility, you must check the application is valid by referring to paragraphs YMS 1.1. to YMS 1.5. of Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme.

Before considering an application, you must check that the applicant’s passport or travel document is genuine. You must do verification checks if you think any of the supporting documents an applicant has submitted are not genuine.

An application for entry clearance or permission to stay on the Youth Mobility Scheme route must meet all the following requirements:

• any fee and Immigration Health Charge must have been paid
• the applicant must have provided any required biometrics
• the applicant must have provided a passport or other travel document which
• satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality

Nationality‌

An applicant must be one of the following:

• a British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territories Citizen or British National (Overseas) as defined by the British Nationality Act 1981
• a national or citizen of a country or the holder of a passport issued by a territory, listed in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals

The countries and territories listed in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals of the Immigration Rules are:

• Andorra
• Australia (nationals of Australia can apply for permission to stay under the YMS route. See section Permission to stay)
• Canada (nationals of Canada can apply for permission to stay under the YMS route. See section Permission to stay)
• Hong Kong
• Iceland
• India
• Japan
• Monaco
• New Zealand (nationals of New Zealand can apply for permission to stay under the YMS route. See section Permission to stay)
• Republic of Korea
• San Marino
• Taiwan
• Uruguay

Age‌

An individual applying for entry clearance from the following countries must be aged 30 or under on the date of application:

• Andorra
• Hong Kong
• Iceland
• India
• Japan
• Monaco
• San Marino
• Taiwan
• Uruguay

If the individual applying for entry clearance is from the following countries, they must be aged 35 or under on the date of application:

• Australia
• Canada
• New Zealand
• Republic of Korea

If you are not satisfied the application meets all the validity requirements, you should consider whether to request more information, reject the application or proceed to consider.

People applying for entry clearance out of country can apply up to six months ahead of their intended date of travel to the UK. Applicants can apply before they turn 18, provided they will be 18 when their entry clearance becomes valid (which should be aligned to their intended date of travel to the UK).

Permission to stay

Nationals from the following countries are able to apply for permission to stay under the YMS for one year, amounting to 3 continuous years of stay in the UK in total, from the following dates:

• Australia (from 31 January 2024)
• Canada (from 31 January 2024)
• New Zealand (from 29 July 2023)

The additional validity requirements for permission to stay are:

• the applicant has valid YMS leave at the time of application – you must check that the applicant has not switched into another immigration category
• the applicant is in the UK at the time of application
• the applicant must not have previously been granted permission to stay under the YMS route

Permission to stay can only be granted to a national of Australia, Canada or New Zealand once. The overall maximum period of grant under the YMS is 3 continuous years.

Suitability requirements‌

This section tells you about the suitability requirement under the Youth Mobility Scheme route.

The applicant must not:

• fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal

If you are not satisfied that the application meets the suitability requirement under the Youth Mobility Scheme route their application must be refused.

For further guidance see: Grounds for refusal

Applications for permission to stay from eligible nationals whose original YMS permission has expired must be considered in line with paragraph 39E of the Immigration Rules (Exceptions for overstayers).

Eligibility requirements‌

This section tells you about the eligibility requirements under the Youth Mobility Scheme route.

Entry requirement‌

The applicant must:

• apply for and obtain an entry clearance under the Youth Mobility Scheme route before their arrival in the UK
• if Appendix Tuberculosis (TB) of the Immigration Rules applies, provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them
• not have previously spent time in the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme route
• be aged 18 or over on the date their entry clearance will become valid

Country specific eligibility requirements‌

Where the applicant for entry clearance is a national or citizen of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand or the Republic of Korea, no country specific eligibility requirements apply. Where the applicant for entry clearance is a national, citizen or the rightful holder of a passport issued by one of the following countries, they must also meet the country specific eligibility requirements, including submitting the extra documents requested in the table.

1: Hong Kong and Taiwan

The applicant must both:

• have been issued with an invitation to apply in accordance with the invitation to apply arrangements set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals
• have made their application within any time limit specified on that invitation to apply

2: San Marino

The applicant must provide a letter confirming the applicant is a suitable candidate for the Youth Mobility Scheme from the Directorate of Political and Diplomatic Affairs of the Republic of San Marino Department of Foreign Affairs that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application.

3: Iceland

The applicant must provide a Criminal Certificate for Private Use (known in Icelandic as Sakavottorð) that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application.

4: India

The applicant must:

• have been issued with an invitation to apply in accordance with the invitation to apply arrangements set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals
• have made their application within the period of time specified on that invitation to apply
• provide the unique application number (UAN) for that invitation to apply (you must verify the UAN against the ballot list)
• provide a local police certificate or a police clearance certificate that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application
• hold a qualification equal to or above RQF level 6 (Bachelor’s degree or above) evidenced through both:
  • a copy of the qualification
  • written confirmation from the college or university that the applicant has completed their studies and graduated with the required qualification

5: Andorra

The applicant must provide a certificate of criminal records issued no more than 6 months before the date of application.

6: Uruguay

The applicant must provide a Certificate of Judicial Records (known as a Certificado de Antecedentes Judiciales) that has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application.

The country specific eligibility requirements do not apply where the applicant is a British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territories Citizen or British National (Overseas).

Financial requirement‌

An applicant seeking entry clearance must:

• have funds of £2,530 for a 28-day period and as specified in Appendix Finance
• not have any children aged under 18 who are either living with them or financially dependent upon them

For guidance explaining how to assess whether an applicant has met the financial requirements see: Financial requirement.

Invitation to apply arrangements‌

In order to effectively and efficiently manage the release of the annual quotas, the Home Office will operate the invitation to apply arrangements set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals in relation to the allocation of places available for use by nationals and citizens of the following countries, and rightful holders of passports issued by the following territories:

• Taiwan
• Hong Kong
• India

Where the applicant is a national or citizen of a country, or the rightful holder of a passport issued by a territory, whose annual allocation of places available under this route is subject to invitation to apply arrangements operated in accordance with Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals, the applicant must have been both:

• issued with an invitation to apply
• have made their application within the period of time specified on the invitation

Invitation to apply requirements do not apply to nationals or citizens of the following countries:

• Andorra
• Australia
• Canada
• Iceland
• Japan
• Monaco
• New Zealand
• Republic of Korea
• San Marino
• Uruguay
• or where the applicant is a British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territory Citizen or British National (Overseas)

The invitation to apply will set out how long the applicant has to submit their entry clearance application and provide their biometrics. This is set at 90 days but will set out that late applications or biometrics may be considered in specific circumstances. If the applicant submits an application or provides their biometrics after the last date of the invitation to apply period, you may continue to consider the applicant if both of the following apply:

• no more than 14 days have passed since the last day of the invitation to apply
• you are satisfied the applicant has presented extenuating circumstances outside of their, or their representative’s, control explaining why it was not possible to submit the application or biometrics during the initial 90 day invitation to apply period

You must give thought to:

• the reasons provided
• whether the reason was genuinely outside the applicant’s control or whether the applicant is describing difficulties that could reasonably have been surmounted
• the credibility of evidence provided

If you decide to use discretion to accept a late application (up to a maximum of 14 days) it should be authorised by an Entry Clearance Manager or caseworker at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) grade or above. In these circumstances you should grant leave as normal if the applicant meets all other requirements of the rules.

Annual allocations‌

Each country or territory listed in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals of the Immigration Rules has an annual total allocation of places to be used by their nationals, citizens or rightful passport holders on the Youth Mobility Scheme.

You must refuse the application if the number of places allocated to nationals or citizens of the same country, or rightful holders of a passport issued by the same territory, has exceeded the total annual entry clearance allocation, even if they meet all of the other requirements of Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme of the Immigration Rules. Applications for permission to stay do not count towards the allocation.

There is no annual allocation of places for British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territories Citizens and British Nationals (Overseas).

If you are not satisfied that the application meets all of the of the eligibility requirements set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme route, their application must be refused.

Grant or refuse‌

This section tells you how to grant or refuse an application for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) migrant.

Grant entry clearance or permission to stay

You must grant entry clearance or permission to stay if:

• the applicant meets all the requirements of Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme of the Immigration Rules
• none of the grounds for refusal in Part 9 of the Immigration Rules apply

Length of grant‌

Up to 2 years entry clearance for all nationalities.

Nationals of Australia, Canada and New Zealand are able to apply for an in-country extension. Public guidance will encourage people applying for permission to stay to do so no earlier than 28 days before their initial grant of YMS leave expires, although this is not mandatory.

The end date of the permission for successful extension applications should be exactly 3 years from the start date of the original entry clearance. This will be regardless of when the applicant chooses to apply for their permission to stay.

Refuse entry clearance or permission to stay

When the applicant has not provided the required evidence that they meet all the suitability and eligibility requirements of Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme you must refuse the application.

An applicant will be able to seek an Administrative Review if they feel there is an error in the decision.

Conditions of leave‌

This section tells you about the conditions of leave that apply to an applicant granted entry clearance and permission to stay as a Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) migrant.

Applicants granted entry clearance and permission to stay in this route are subject to the following conditions:

• no access to public funds
• work permitted (subject to the conditions below)
• study is permitted subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS

Work conditions‌

Work is permitted subject to the following employment conditions:

• no employment as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach)
• no self-employment, except where the following conditions are met:
  • the applicant has no premises which they own, other than their home, from which they carry out their business
  • the total value of any equipment used in the business does not exceed £5,000
  • the applicant has no employees