Youth Mobility Scheme visa
Working holiday for young people from Australia, Canada, Japan and other partner countries.
Rules and fees checked against gov.uk on 8 November 2026. Page updated 8 November 2026. How we check our guides.
- Who it is for
- People aged 18 to 30 (18 to 35 for some countries) from a participating country or territory
- Length
- 2 years, extendable to 3 for Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders
- Fee
- £319 plus £776 a year health surcharge
- Leads to settlement
- No
The Youth Mobility Scheme is a working-holiday visa. It lets young people from countries with a reciprocal agreement live and work in the UK for two years (three for some nationalities) with no sponsor and no job offer. It is deliberately a one-off: it does not lead to settlement and you cannot hold it twice.
Participating countries
At the time of review the scheme covered Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea (age 18 to 35 for all four), Japan, Monaco, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Uruguay, Taiwan, Hong Kong (as a British national (overseas) or with an HKSAR passport) and India (as the India Young Professionals Scheme, which needs a degree). The UK and EU agreed in May 2025 to work towards a "youth experience scheme" for EU citizens; no scheme had opened when this page was reviewed.
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and India have a limited number of places allocated by a ballot. You register your interest in a short window, usually in January or February and again mid-year, and if selected you have about 90 days to apply. The other countries have no cap; you simply apply.
Who qualifies
- Aged 18 to 30 when you apply (18 to 35 for Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea). You can apply up to six months before your 31st or 36th birthday and still travel after it.
- Savings of £2,530 held for 28 days.
- No children under 18 living with you or that you are financially responsible for.
- Not previously held a Youth Mobility Scheme or Working Holidaymaker visa.
- For India: a bachelor's degree or higher, and the ballot.
Cost
The fee is £319. The health surcharge is at the discounted rate of £776 a year, so a two-year visa costs £1,871 in total; three years for the eligible nationalities, £2,647. Decisions take about three weeks.
What you can do
Work in almost any job, be self-employed (with limits: no employees, no premises, equipment worth under £5,000), study, and travel in and out freely. You cannot work as a professional sportsperson or coach, claim public funds or bring dependants. Partners who qualify in their own right can each apply separately.
At the end
You cannot extend beyond the two or three years. Many people switch to a Skilled Worker visa if an employer will sponsor them; switching inside the UK is allowed from this route, and time on it counts towards the ten-year long residence route but not towards the five-year work route. Others leave and return later on a different visa. Overstaying even by a few days damages future applications.