Young Indians looking to live, study, travel and work in the United Kingdom have a golden opportunity at hand. The UK-India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) is set to open next week giving young Indians an opportunity to explore the UK and do jobs in the United Kingdom. The successful entries will be chosen at random from the total applications cast in the ballots.
To be considered for one of the 3,000 slots available under the initiative, Indian students between the ages of 18 and 30 have to cast their ballots on gov.uk.
Launched in February 2023, the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) gives students in India and UK an opportunity to study and work in either countries for a period of up to two years.
Students applying for the YPS scheme should ensure they meet all eligibility requirements before entering the ballot. Students need to first apply to and be selected in the India Young Professionals Scheme ballot before they can apply for their visa.
Only those who qualify for a UK bachelor’s degree level or above or an equivalent overseas qualification at degree level or above are eligible to apply for YPS. One also needs to have proof of £2,530 in savings to support themselves in the UK to be eligible for the YPS.
You will need to have the money available for at least 28 days in a row and day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa. However, even if anyone meets these eligibility conditions, they cannot apply if they have already been in the UK under this scheme or the Youth Mobility Scheme visa.
Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, in her statement, encourages people from all corners of India to apply – from Itanagar to Coimbatore, from Leh to Surat, and from Bhubaneshwar to Indore.
There is no cost involved for Indian nationals to enter the YPS ballot. 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.
They will then have 90 days from the date of the email informing them of their success in the ballot to make an application to the UK Home Office via the online application form, provide their biometrics and pay all associated fees, including the visa application fee and immigration health surcharge.
As per the YPS rules, selected applicants must mandatorily return to India after completing two years in the UK under this scheme. The India Young Professionals Scheme ballot will open at 2:30 pm India Standard Time on 18 February 2025 and will close at 2:30 pm India Standard Time on 20 February 2025.
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