On June 23, 2025, the government announced that the second ballot of the 2025 Youth Mobility Scheme for nationals of Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan will open on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 and close on Thursday, July 17, 2025. The first ballot was run in February 2025.
Ballots are open for 48 hours and all ballot entry emails received in that 48-hour period will be entered into the ballot. Entrants will receive an automated email confirming their entry.
For the Youth Mobility Scheme visa in 2025, there are 1000 places available for nationals of Hong Kong and 1000 places available for Taiwan. Most places are allocated during the February ballot, while the remaining places will be allocated in the summer.
Successful entrants will receive an email by August 1, 2025. They then have 90 days to submit their application, pay the visa fee and provide their fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC).
They should get a decision on their visa within three weeks of attending their appointment.
If they are successful in the ballot and apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa, they will not receive a visa vignette. Instead, they’ll need to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa before you travel to the UK.
Unsuccessful entrants will receive an email within two weeks of the ballot closing. Unsuccessful applicants cannot appeal but can enter future ballots if they continue to meet the eligibility requirements.
Applications for the Youth Mobility scheme visa can be submitted by nationals of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea aged 18 to 35; and nationals of Andorra, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Japan, Monaco, San Marino, Taiwan and Uruguay aged 18 to 30.
Applicants from Hong Kong or Taiwan must be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot before they can apply for their visa.
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