2023 Youth Mobility Scheme Ballot Dates
It may feel like a slow start to the New Year but if you are interested in applying for entry clearance to the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme immigration solicitors warn you need to know that the first Youth Mobility Scheme ballot dates for 2023 are fast approaching.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors and Youth Mobility Scheme Lawyers
For help with your Youth Mobility Scheme application or immigration law advice call the expert London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
The January 2023 Youth Mobility Scheme ballot dates
The first 2023 Youth Mobility Scheme ballot will open on Tuesday 17 January 2023. You can't afford to be slow as the ballot only remains open for a period of 48 hours. It closes on 19 January 2023.
If you miss the January ballot there will be another ballot in July but the January one is the ‘main event’ as the majority of places on the Youth Mobility Scheme are allocated in the January ballot.
Who needs to enter the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot?
Some applicants for the Youth Mobility Scheme need to enter the ballot before they can apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa. It is akin to buying a ticket in a lottery to secure a golden ticket, or in this case, the ability to apply to the Home Office for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa.
The system allocates a specified number of ballot places depending on the nationality of the applicants. So, when you enter the ballot, you are not competing with every visa applicant but only those who are of the same nationality as you are.
You need to enter the ballot process for the Youth Mobility Scheme prior to making a visa application under the Youth Mobility Scheme if you are a national of:
- Hong Kong*
- Japan
- South Korea
- Taiwan
*If you are from Hong Kong you don’t need to enter the ballot if you are a:
- British Overseas Citizen
- British Overseas Territories Citizen
- British National (Overseas)
How many Youth Mobility Scheme ballot places are there?
In the January 2023 ballot, there are 800 places per country, so 3,200 in total. You can't try to beat the system by making more than one ballot entry as the system has been designed to automatically reject second and third applications by the same individual.
Winning the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot
The Youth Mobility Scheme ballot cannot be ‘won’ as the ‘winners’ are picked randomly. Therefore, you stand as much chance as the next person from your country of winning the ballot and securing a ticket to enable you to go on to apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa from the Home Office.
You will get told if you have been successful in your ballot entry by email from the Home Office. You should get the email by 20 January 2023. If you are not successful you can enter the July 2023 ballot.
The benefits of the Youth Mobility Scheme visa
The Youth Mobility Scheme is a cultural exchange programme so British citizens can spend time overseas in much the same way as those who come from overseas to the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme.
You can apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa if you are aged from 18 to 30 and you come from a country that is on the list of countries joined up to the scheme. The visa allows you to stay in the UK for up to 2 years.
The advantage of the Youth Mobility Scheme is that you can live, work and study in the UK whilst on a visa. The Youth Mobility Scheme visa lasts longer than the visitor visa and you are not restricted to work that is classed as a ‘permissible activity’ under the UK visitor visa immigration rules.
Unlike the UK graduate visa, you don’t need to have first been in the UK on a student visa.
Unlike the UK skilled worker visa or senior or specialist worker visa, you don’t need to find employment with a UK employer who holds a sponsor licence to sponsor overseas workers before you can apply for the visa. Once in the UK, you are not restricted to the type of work you can do.
Unlike the start-up visa or innovator visa, you don’t need an endorsement from an endorsing body or to meet strict business criteria on viability and scalability before you can set up a self-employed business in the UK.
Alternatives to the Youth Mobility Scheme
London immigration solicitors say there are many alternatives to the Youth Mobility Scheme and that those wanting to come to the UK to live or work should look at all their individual immigration and business immigration visa options before they apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme.
Whilst the Youth Mobility Scheme is flexible, as you can apply for the visa without needing a job offer and without requiring a sponsoring employer with a Home Office sponsor licence, the visa route does not lead to settlement in the UK. The visa only lasts for 2 years. That’s why if you meet the eligibility criteria for a skilled worker visa, health and care worker visa or spouse visa, these may be better alternatives for you even though the criteria for entry are harder and the visa rules more rigid. In the long term, these visas will offer you the best route to indefinite leave to remain and permanent residence in the UK.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors and Youth Mobility Scheme Lawyers
For advice on your Youth Mobility Scheme application or your alternate UK visa routes call the immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
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