Youth mobility scheme
How to apply
This page explains how you can apply in the youth mobility scheme under tier 5 of our points-based system.
Read eligibility first to make sure you meet the requirements to apply.
How to apply?
The process for applying is:
- do a self-assessment online using our points-based calculator, which you can find on the right side of this page, to find out if you are likely to score enough points.
- go to the visa services website, which you can find on the right of this page, to find out how to apply in your country, the fee you have to pay and how to give your biometrics.
You must provide all supporting documents with your application, as we will not use any evidence given after we have received the application.
You can apply for permission to come to the United Kingdom at a post in a country you are not a national of, even if this is not your normal place of residence if:
- the post can take applications to the youth mobility scheme; and
- you can show that you are allowed to stay in the country that you are applying in; and
- your permission to stay in that country was for more than six months.
How to apply from the Channel Islands or Isle of Man
The Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and Alderney) and the Isle of Man have their own immigration laws and policies, separate to those of the United Kingdom. For immigration control, we treat these islands as outside the United Kingdom.
If you are living within the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and have been given permission to come or stay (also known as entry clearance or leave tor emain) there by one of the island authorities, you will not be able to make an application for permission to stay in the United Kingdom directly from the islands.
You can apply in two ways. These are:
- by returning to the country where you are normally resident (your home country) and applying for permission come to the United Kingdom (also known as entry clearance) from there; or
- if your permission to come or stay on one of the islands is still current, you can come directly to the United Kingdom.
Once you are in the United Kingdom, you may apply to switch as long as the immigration category that you were given permission to come or stay on the islands is one that the United Kingdom immigration law allows you to switch into. This is because, once you have travelled to the United Kingdom, we are able to treat the permission given to you under the island laws as if it had been given by the United Kingdom authorities.