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Youth Mobility for Australians: Age 18-35, £340 Fee

Australia sits in the higher age band of the Youth Mobility Scheme, needs no ballot, and is one of only three nationalities that can extend the visa. This guide sets out what the published rules say for Australian applicants.

Checked 9 June 20268 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
Youth Mobility
Reading time
8 min
Last checked
9 June 2026
Source
The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
Rowan does not
Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.

In short

  • Age range 18 to 35, one of only four nationalities in that band.
  • No ballot. Australians apply directly.
  • £340 fee plus £1,552 healthcare surcharge for 24 months, and £2,530 in savings you keep.
  • Australians are one of three nationalities that can extend, once, by one year.
  • The route does not count towards settlement.

Australian citizens can apply to the Youth Mobility Scheme up to age 35, without a ballot, and are among the three nationalities GOV.UK allows to extend the visa by a year. This guide covers the published age test, the £340 fee, the £2,530 savings rule, the work conditions and what the rules say about staying on.

Eligibility for Australians

Australian citizens can apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme if they meet the published requirements:

  • Age. 18 or over when the visa starts, and 35 or under when you apply. GOV.UK says you can apply before you turn 18, and that you can be over 35 by the time the visa starts.
  • Nationality. A valid Australian passport.
  • Savings. At least £2,530, held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of applying.
  • No previous use of the scheme. You cannot apply if you have already been in the UK under it.
  • Children. You cannot apply if you have children under 18 who live with you, or children you are financially responsible for.

There is no ballot for Australians — that requirement applies only to Hong Kong and Taiwan applicants. The Immigration Rules do set an annual allocation of places for each participating country, and Australia’s for 2026 is 38,500, the largest on the scheme.

Australia is not one of the four countries (Andorra, Iceland, San Marino and Uruguay) whose applicants must supply a criminal record document. See our requirements guide for the full document list.

Costs

The published costs are:

  • Application fee: £340
  • Healthcare surcharge: £1,552, which is £776 a year for 2 years at the reduced rate this route pays
  • Total: £1,892
  • Savings to show: £2,530, which stays in your account

See our UK visa fees guide to compare with other routes.

Work Conditions

GOV.UK says you can work in most jobs, with no sponsor and no published limit on hours, and can study — though some courses need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate. You cannot work as a professional sportsperson, for example as a coach, and you cannot get public funds.

Self-employment is allowed only if your premises are rented, your equipment is worth no more than £5,000, and you have no employees. Our work rights guide covers those conditions in full.

How to Apply

  1. Apply online on GOV.UK. The earliest you can apply is 6 months before you travel.
  2. Pay the £340 fee and the healthcare surcharge online.
  3. Prove your identity. GOV.UK says you will either scan your document with the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app, or have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre. You are told which applies when you apply.
  4. Provide your documents: passport and a bank statement showing at least £2,530.
  5. Wait for a decision, usually within 3 weeks.

If you do need an appointment, GOV.UK says to take your passport with you and that you will be able to collect it on the day. See our biometrics guide.

Extending, and Staying Beyond 2 Years

Australia is one of only three nationalities GOV.UK allows to extend this visa. The published rules are:

  • you can extend by one year, and only once
  • you must be living in the UK and hold a valid Youth Mobility Scheme visa
  • apply no more than 28 days before the current visa expires
  • the fee is £340 plus £776 healthcare surcharge, so £1,116
  • the new visa runs from the day after the old one ends, and a decision usually comes within 8 weeks
  • you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get that decision

Beyond that, the published options include:

  • Skilled Worker visa. Applying to switch from inside the UK, with a job offer from a licensed sponsor. The general salary threshold is £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. Australia is on the GOV.UK list of countries whose nationals do not have to prove their knowledge of English for that route.
  • Ancestry visa. Australia is a Commonwealth country, so an Australian citizen with a grandparent born in the UK may meet the Ancestry visa requirements. That visa is granted for 5 years and can lead to settlement.
  • Other routes, such as a Student visa, if their published requirements are met.

Time spent on the Youth Mobility Scheme, including any extension, does not count towards indefinite leave to remain.

Next Steps

Related guides:

Questions and answers

What is the age limit for Australians on the Youth Mobility Scheme?

Australia is one of four countries with the higher age range of 18 to 35, alongside Canada, New Zealand and South Korea. GOV.UK states the test as: 18 or over when your visa starts, or 35 or under when you apply. You can apply before you turn 18, and you can be over 35 when the visa starts.

Do Australians need to enter a ballot?

No. Only Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region passport) and Taiwan applicants must be selected in a ballot before applying. Australians can apply at any time, though the Immigration Rules do set an annual allocation of places for Australia.

Can Australians extend the Youth Mobility Scheme visa?

Yes. Australia is one of only three nationalities that can — Australia, Canada and New Zealand. GOV.UK says you can extend the visa by one year, once, after the 2-year period ends. You must be living in the UK with a valid Youth Mobility Scheme visa when you apply.

Can Australians use the scheme more than once?

No. GOV.UK says you cannot apply if you have already been in the UK under the scheme, whether or not you stayed for the full 2 years. Extending is different: that is one further year on the visa you already hold, not a second use of the scheme.

This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.

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