Ballot for UK visa scheme for under-30s opens next week: Everything you need to know (original) (raw)

India-UK visa scheme: The ballot for this year’s United Kingdom-India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) will open next week. The scheme offers both British and Indian nationals the opportunity to live, study, travel, and work in the other country for up to two years.

However, while there is a ballot system for Indians to apply to live in the UK, with a cap of 3,000 announced this year, there is no such ballot for British citizens to apply under the scheme.

Here is a look at the YPS, how it is different from other work visa programmes available for Indian citizens in the UK, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s policies regarding undocumented migrants.

What is the scheme?

Launched in February 2023, the YPS is a reciprocal scheme under which UK and Indian nationals, who are aged from 18 to 30 can live, study, travel, and work in the other country for up to two years. It is part of the Migration and Mobility Agreement that the two countries signed in 2021, capping the number of young professionals admitted to either country at 3,000 per year.

More than 2,100 YPS visas were issued to Indian nationals in 2023, according to data shared by the UK authorities. However, those availing visas under this category must return to India after completing two years in the UK.

For Indian nationals wanting to travel to the UK, the three-day YPS ballot starts on February 18, and those selected will then get 90 days to make an application to the UK Home Office. The applicants must also have a qualification at UK bachelor’s degree level or above, and have proof of £2,530 in savings to support themselves in the UK.

How is it different from other kinds of work visas?

The other available options include the skilled worker visa, which allows Indian nationals to stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. There is also the health and care worker visa that allows medical professionals to work with the UK’s National Health Service, or in adult social care. This visa is specific for qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals or adult social care professionals.

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However, for both the above categories, a “certificate of sponsorship” from the employer is required and there is also a minimum salary bar. Those applying under these categories usually need to have at least £1,270 available in their accounts.

While the YPS does not require any pre-approved employer certificate or salary conditions, it allows Indians to land in the UK and seek a job or self-employment if they have enough savings to support their stay. However, YPS is not extendable unless the regular work visas which are valid for five years can be extended. The scheme also does not allow any dependent children to accompany the applicant.

How is PM Starmer dealing with undocumented immigrants?

Much like US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the UK’s Labour government has now launched mass raids on undocumented immigrants working in the country. Described as a “UK-wide blitz”, the crackdown has even extended to Indian restaurants, nail bars, convenience stores, and car washes which employ immigrants.

The government has announced the return of about 19,000 “failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders” to their countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. Numbers specific to India have not been revealed.

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Despite some of the restrictions that have been introduced in the past year, the prospects for skilled workers remains positive in industries facing manpower shortages, Yash Dubal, Director at London-based immigration firm AY&J Solicitors, told The Indian Express. These industries include healthcare, finance, IT, construction, and engineering.