More Aussies can now go work in the UK – and stay for longer

Young Aussies who fancy a stint working in the UK have more options from this month, as a popular visa scheme opens to more people.

The revamp to the UK Youth Mobility Visa started on January 31, 2024.

Here are all the details.

The eligibility for the UK Youth Mobility Visa for Australians is now age 18 to 35.

That’s up from the earlier age limit of 30.

Plus Australians can now also extend their visa.

The two-year visa can be extended for an extra year, making it three years.

You can apply for your visa before you turn 18 and you can be over 35 when it starts.

You can only get the visa once.

The earliest you can apply for a visa is six months before travel.

Aussies can enter the UK at any time while the visa is valid, and leave and return at anytime.

There are more criteria to meet too – including proof you have enough money.

You must have £2530 which is about $4900.

You have to have had the money in your personal bank account for at least 28 days.

Day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for the visa and the cash must be show on bank statements.

Visa applicants also need to apply for a biometric residence permit (BRP) for the UK.

This involves having a photo and fingerprints taken at a visa application centre.

There are centres in Sydney, Melburobe, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Hobart

If applying from Australia this can be collected from a Post Office in the UK

Aussies heading to the UK will also need to get a National Insurance number which is like a Tax File number.

How long does it take to get a UK youth mobility visa?

It usually only takes three weeks, according to the UK government.

The decision on the visa extension however, can take up to eight weeks, the Gov.uk website says.

The initial visa is £298. There is also a health surcharge which is £470, making the total cost £768, around $1490.

It costs the same amount again to apply to extend the visa for another year.

The main options are the Youth Mobility Visa, and the UK Ancestry Visa.

The latter one is for Aussies who can prove one grandparent was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

That visa lasts for five years.

Some Aussies who have a British parent, may also be able to get a UK passport which come with unlimited working rights.

Other options include Skilled Worker Visas for Aussies who have to be sponsored by an employer to do a job that’s on a specific list.

There is also the Health and Care Worker visa for Aussies with specific skills in that area.

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At the end of June 2021, 961,000 people who were born in the United Kingdom were living in Australia.

In 2021, 165,000 Australian-born people lived in the United Kingdom.

For more details visit the official website.