United Kingdom | First-round ballots open soon for U.K.-India Young Professionals Scheme

The Home Office announced the U.K.-India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) 2025 ballot will open Feb. 18.

Key Points:

• Indian nationals aged 18 to 30 may enter the ballot to be considered for one of 3,000 spots available.
• The YPS reciprocal visa scheme offers individuals from both countries the opportunity to live, study, travel and work in the other country for up to two years.
• The ballot closes on Feb. 20, and applicants do not need to pay to enter. Successful entries will be picked at random. Applicants must be at least 18 years old on the date they plan to travel to the U.K.

Additional Information: Officials also stated that applicants must have a qualification at a U.K. bachelor’s degree level or above and have proof of £2,530 (about US$3,173) in savings as financial support to be eligible. More information on the eligibility requirements can be found here. Those selected from the ballot will be notified via email within two weeks of the ballot closing and will be invited to apply for the visa.

Launched in February 2023, authorities stated that over 2,100 YPS visas were issued to Indian nationals that year under the scheme. For British nationals looking to travel to India under the scheme, official guidance can be found here.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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