Immigration Rules Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-11)

The Youth Mobility Scheme provides a cultural exchange programme that allows a person aged between 18 and 30 (or 18-35 for some nationalities), from participating countries and territories, to experience life in the UK for up to 2 years (or 3 years for some nationalities).

Dependants are not permitted on this route.

The Youth Mobility Scheme route is not a route to settlement.

Validity requirements for the Youth Mobility Scheme route

YMS 1.1. A person applying for entry clearance under the Youth Mobility Scheme route must apply online on gov.uk on the specified form: “Temporary Work or Youth Mobility Scheme”.

YMS 1.1.A. A person applying for permission to stay under the Youth Mobility Scheme route must apply online on gov.uk on the specified form: “Temporary Work or Youth Mobility Scheme permission to stay”.
- (a) any fee and Immigration Health Charge must have been paid; and
- (b) the applicant must have provided biometrics when required; and
- (c) the applicant must have provided a passport or other travel document which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality.
- (a) a British Overseas citizen, British Overseas Territories citizen or British National (Overseas); or
- (b) 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.
- (a) a national of Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Korea aged 35 or under on the date of application; or
- (b) aged 30 or under on the date of application.
- (a) be an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand national in the UK;
- (b) have, or have last been granted, permission to enter under the Youth Mobility Scheme route; and
- (c) not previously have been granted permission to stay under the Youth Mobility Scheme route.
YMS 1.5. An application which does not meet all the validity requirements for the Youth Mobility Scheme may be rejected as invalid and not considered.

Suitability requirements for the Youth Mobility Scheme

YMS 2.1. The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability.
- (a) in breach of immigration laws, except that where the Exceptions for overstayers section of Part Suitability applies, that period of overstaying will be disregarded; or
- (b) on immigration bail.
Eligibility requirements for the Youth Mobility Scheme

Entry requirements for the Youth Mobility Scheme

YMS 3.1. A person seeking to come to the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme route must have applied for and obtained entry clearance under the Youth Mobility Scheme route before they arrive in the UK.

YMS 3.2. A person applying for entry clearance on a Youth Mobility Scheme must, if Appendix Tuberculosis 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.

YMS 3.3. A person applying for entry clearance must not have previously spent time in the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme route.

YMS 3.4. The applicant must be aged 18 or over on the date their entry clearance will become valid.

Country-specific eligibility requirements for the Youth Mobility Scheme

YMS 4.1. Where the applicant is a national of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand or the Republic of Korea, they are not required to meet any country-specific eligibility requirements but if they are applying for entry clearance they must meet the financial requirements in YMS 5.1. to YMS 5.3.

YMS 4.2. Where the applicant is a national, citizen or rightful passport holder of one of the countries or territories listed in the following table of country-specific eligibility requirements, they must meet the requirement listed:

YMS 4.3. The number of places for entry clearance applications allocated to nationals or citizens of the same country, or rightful holders of a passport issued by the same territory, must not have exceeded the annual total allocation of places for that country or territory as set out in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals.

YMS 4.4. Where the applicant is a British Overseas citizen, British Overseas Territories citizen or British National (Overseas), YMS 4.1. to YMS 4.2. do not apply.

Financial requirement for the Youth Mobility Scheme

YMS 5.1. The applicant must have funds of £ 2,530.

YMS 5.2. The applicant must show that they have held the required level of funds for a 28- day period and as specified in Appendix Finance.

YMS 5.3. The applicant must not have any children aged under 18 who are either living with them or financially dependent upon them.

YMS 5.4. YMS 5.1. to YMS 5.3. do not apply to applications for permission to stay on the Youth Mobility Scheme route.

Decision on an application for the Youth Mobility Scheme

YMS 6.1. If the decision maker is satisfied that all the eligibility and suitability requirements are met for the Youth Mobility Scheme route, the application will be granted, otherwise the application will be refused.

YMS 6.2. If the application is refused the person can apply for an Administrative Review under Appendix AR: Administrative Review.

Period of grant for the Youth Mobility Scheme
- (a) entry clearance for up to 2 years; or
- (b) permission to stay for a period which means the period of permission (including the original permission to enter) granted under the Youth Mobility Scheme is for a total of 3 continuous years.
Conditions of grant for the Youth Mobility Scheme
- (a) no access to public funds; and
- (b) work permitted, subject to YMS 7.3; and
- (c) study is permitted subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS.
- (d) DELETED.
- (a) no employment as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach); and
- (i) the applicant has no premises which they own, other than their home, from which they carry out their business; and
- (ii) the total value of any equipment used in their business does not exceed £5,000; and
- (iii) the applicant has no employees.