Eligibility criteria may vary depending on the individual’s nationality. Broadly, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• They must be aged between 18 and 30 (or 18 and 35 for Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and Republic of Korea nationals) on the date of the application;
• They must be a citizen of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Iceland, Monaco, Andorra, Uruguay, Taiwan, or San Marino or are a British Overseas citizen, British Overseas Territories citizen or British National (Overseas);
• They must meet the maintenance requirement which requires evidence of savings;
• They must not have any children under 18 who are living with them or are financially dependent on them;
• They must have previously not held a UK Youth Mobility visa.

Country Specific Requirements

Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand or the Republic of Korea, British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territories Citizen or British National (Overseas)

No country specific eligibility requirements apply.

Hong Kong and Taiwan

The applicant must both:

• have been issued with an invitation to apply 
• have made their application within any time limit specified on that invitation to apply

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.

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.

India

The applicant must:

• have been issued with an invitation to apply 
• 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 
• 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

Andorra

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

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.

Citizens of India, must also hold an education qualification equal to RQF level 6 or above.

There are quotas on the number of places available on the Youth Mobility Scheme each year for all countries that are eligible except for British Overseas citizens, British Overseas Territories citizens or British National (Overseas) citizens.

Citizens of Taiwan, Hong Kong and India also need to first apply to a ballot scheme before applying for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa.

Financial requirement‌

An applicant seeking entry clearance must:

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

Annual Quotas

The maximum total allocation of places available for use by nationals or citizens of countries and rightful holders of a passport issued by territories participating in the Youth Mobility Scheme in 2025, are as follows:

1. Andorra – 100 places
2. Australia – 42,000 places
3. Canada – 10,000 places
4. Hong Kong – 1,000 places
5. Iceland – 1,000 places
6. India – 3,000 places
7. Japan – 6,000 places
8. Monaco – 1,000 places
9. New Zealand – 9,500 places
10. Republic of Korea – 5,000 places
11. San Marino – 1,000 places
12. Taiwan – 1,000 places
13. Uruguay – 500 places

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

Ballot Scheme

If you are a national, citizen, or passport holder of the following countries, you must first enter a ballot before applying for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa:

• Taiwan
• Hong Kong (SAR passport holders only)
• India

To take part, you must submit an expression of interest through ballot system. From this pool of applicants, candidates are chosen at random and invited to apply for entry clearance.

The ballot usually opens twice a year, in January and July, and remains open for a 48-hour period. If selected, you will have 30 days to submit your Youth Mobility Scheme visa application.