Youth Mobility Scheme for Indians and Icelandic opening on 1st January 2022

The government announced that a new Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme will be replacing the T5 (Temporary Worker) Youth Mobility Scheme Appendix. Successful applicants will be granted the right to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years.

What is it?

This Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) is a cultural exchange programme which is open to:

• persons aged 18 to 30 on the date of application
• nationals of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Monaco, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Republic of Korea
• India and Iceland will be included from 1^st January 2022.
• hold a passport from that qualifying country.

Applicants will be allowed to work in the UK without sponsoring employer or work permit, but they will not be able to extend their stay unless they are offered a permanent job and apply under the Skilled Worker route. They will not be able to bring their dependents, and this does not lead to settlement.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must prove that they:

1. have not previously entered the UK under the YMS route.
2. must have the financial means to support themselves during this 2-year period/visa validity.
3. have a clean immigration and criminal record.
4. TB certificate and, where possible confirmation of COVID vaccinations.

Additional requirements for Indian nationals

As we reported earlier in the summer, this new route for qualifying Indian nationals will be open to 3,000 successful applicants who meet the criteria and:

1. Qualifying certificates – applicants must evidence that they have a qualification equal to or above RQF level 6. This must be written confirmation from the issuing institution that they successfully completed their studies and graduated with the required qualification.

2. Work experience – applicants must have a minimum of 3 years’ work experience in a professional role equivalent to an eligible occupation listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations. This can be proven with formal payslips showing the applicant’s job title and employer’s name; or payslips accompanied by a letter from the employer confirming the payslips are authentic.

Please contact us for a consultation if you would like to make an application under this new visa route.