Youth Mobility Scheme visa: ballot system

The second ballot of the 2026 Youth Mobility Scheme opens from 00:01am on Tuesday 14 July 2026 and closes at 00:01am on Thursday 16 July 2026.
Who needs to enter
You need to enter the ballot if you want to apply for a
Youth Mobility Scheme visa
and you are from:
Hong Kong, if you have an SAR passport
Taiwan
You no longer need to enter the ballot if you are a Japanese or South Korean national. You can
apply at any time on our website
.
You also do not need to enter the ballot if you are a British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territories Citizen or British National (Overseas).
India Young Professionals Scheme
There is
a different ballot if you are from India
.
How to enter
The first ballot opened in February 2026, with a second ballot to open in July 2026.
You enter the ballot by sending an email. Only one ballot entry can be submitted per person. Any duplications will not be counted.
It is free to enter the ballot. You should only enter if you:
plan to apply for the visa, which costs £340
You must make sure you meet all
eligibility requirements for the visa
before entering the ballot.
Ballots will be open for 48 hours. All emails we receive within this 48 hour period will be entered into the ballot. You will get an automated reply confirming your entry.
For the Youth Mobility Scheme visa in 2026, there are 1,000 places available for nationals of Hong Kong and 1,000 places available for Taiwan. Most places are allocated during the February ballot, while the remaining places will be allocated in the summer.
Writing your email
Your email must be in English.
The subject line of the email must include your:
name
date of birth
passport number
Write these in the format: Lastname Firstname – DD/MM/YYYY – passport number.
Example subject line: Wong Janet – 31/03/2000 – 123456789
The body of the email must include your:
name
date of birth
passport number
mobile phone number
Emails received without this information or not in this format will not be considered.
Hong Kong
Email

between 00:01am (one minute past midnight) on Tuesday 14 July 2026 and 00:01am on Thursday 16 July 2026 (Hong Kong time) to enter the ballot.
Taiwan
Email

between 00:01am (one minute past midnight) on Tuesday 14 July 2026 and 00:01am on Thursday 16 July 2026 (Taipei time) to enter the ballot.
If you are successful in the ballot
You will receive an email by Thursday 30 July 2026 if you are successful in the ballot.
You then have 90 days to submit your application, pay the visa fee and provide your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a Visa Application Centre (
VAC
).
You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks of attending your appointment. Check the
guidance on decision waiting times
to find out how long visa decisions are currently taking.
If you are successful in the ballot and apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa, you will not get a visa vignette. Instead, you will need to
create your UKVI account and access your eVisa
before you travel to the UK.
You may be able to
get your visa faster
, depending on what country you are in. Check with your
VAC
.
If you are unsuccessful in the ballot
If you are unsuccessful in the ballot, you will receive an email within 2 weeks of the ballot closing.
Check your junk or spam folder if you have not received a response.
The results of the ballot are final. You cannot appeal if you are unsuccessful.
You can enter future ballots if you are unsuccessful, a long as you continue to
meet the eligibility requirements
.