Youth Mobility Scheme Eligible Countries and Age Limits in 2026

The UK Youth Mobility Scheme is not open to everyone — it depends entirely on which passport you hold and whether your government has negotiated a reciprocal arrangement with the UK. Thirteen countries participate in 2026, but the rules vary considerably: age limits differ by nationality, quota sizes range from 100 to 38,500 places, and some nationalities must enter a random ballot just to get the chance to apply.

Here is the complete breakdown.

The Full List of Eligible Countries and Their 2026 Quotas

Two notable additions joined the scheme recently: Uruguay and Andorra. While their quota numbers are small, the structure of the visa is identical to the larger programmes.

What "Age Limit" Actually Means

The age rules are applied at the date the application is submitted, not the date you enter the UK or the date the visa expires. This means you could submit your application on the day before your 31st (or 36th, depending on your country) birthday and still qualify.

For most nationalities, the upper age limit is 30 — meaning you must be aged 18 to 30 at the time of application. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Korea are the exceptions: their bilateral agreements with the UK allow applicants up to the age of 35 to apply.

There is no minimum age beyond 18. However, applicants aged 18 or 19 should be aware that the financial requirements are the same as for older applicants — the £2,530 maintenance funds must be held for 28 consecutive days regardless.

Countries That Require a Ballot

For India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, the demand for Youth Mobility Scheme places far exceeds the annual quota. The Home Office manages this through a random ballot system. You first register during a short ballot window (typically 48–72 hours), and if selected, you receive an "Invitation to Apply" giving you 90 days to submit your full visa application.

India's ballot (formally the India Young Professionals Scheme, or India YPS) runs twice annually, typically in February and July. Selection is random, and with approximately 3,000 places available against tens of thousands of applicants, the odds in any given round are roughly 1 in 17.

Hong Kong and Taiwan also run twice-annual ballots. These are submitted via email rather than an online portal — the subject line format must be exact (Last Name First Name – DD/MM/YYYY – Passport Number) or the entry is disqualified.

If you are not selected, you can re-enter in the next ballot window. There is no limit on the number of times you can try, provided you still meet the age requirement.

Additional Eligibility Requirements for All Applicants

Regardless of nationality, every YMS applicant must also meet these requirements:

Financial maintenance. You must hold £2,530 in a bank account for 28 consecutive days. The final day of the 28-day window must fall within 31 days of your application submission. The balance cannot dip below £2,530 for even a single day during that period — if it does, the application will be refused.

No recourse to public funds. You must not have spent time under a condition of no recourse to public funds that disqualifies you from switching to certain routes. YMS holders themselves have no recourse to public funds throughout their stay.

Character and criminal record. Standard grounds for refusal apply. From March 2026, suspended sentences of 12 months or more issued in the UK are a mandatory refusal ground.

Prior participation. You can only use the Youth Mobility Scheme once in your lifetime. Any previous leave under the YMS, its predecessor (the Working Holiday Visa), or any equivalent bilateral arrangement is a mandatory bar.

TB test. If you have been resident for 6 months or more in a country on the Home Office's TB testing list, you must provide a certificate from an approved clinic — even if you are not a national of that country. A Canadian who has lived in India for the past year, for example, must obtain a TB certificate.

Additional Requirements for Specific Countries

Some nationalities face extra document requirements that do not apply to others:

India (YPS only): You must hold a qualification at UK RQF Level 6 or above (a bachelor's degree or equivalent). The degree must be verified through Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) before the application is submitted. You must also provide a police clearance certificate from every country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years.

Andorra, Iceland, San Marino, and Uruguay: Applicants from these countries must provide a criminal record certificate issued within the last six months by the relevant national authority.

Hong Kong BN(O) holders: The ballot and application requirements are the same as for SAR passport holders, but the documentation proving Hong Kong nationality must be consistent across all submitted materials.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of the application process — including how to meet the savings rule and what documents to prepare — see the UK Youth Mobility Scheme Guide.

What Happens If Your Country Is Not on the List

The YMS operates purely on the basis of bilateral treaties. If your country is not currently listed, there is no other route to achieve the same outcome — you would need to apply for a different visa category such as the Skilled Worker route (which requires a job offer from a licensed sponsor) or the Student visa.

The UK and the European Union have been in discussions about a potential EU-wide youth mobility arrangement since 2025, though no formal scheme existed at the time of writing. If an EU-wide YMS is introduced, it would add a substantial number of eligible nationalities in one step.

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