The UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa for Australians

The United Kingdom (UK) is one of the most popular working holiday destinations for young Australians, who have the opportunity to live and work in England, Scotland, Wales and/or Northern Ireland for up to 3 years!

Since 31 January 2024, this visa is available to Australian citizens aged 18-35. It’s initially valid for two years, with the option to extend it for a third year down the track.

Many young Aussies dream of living and working in London. Thanks to the UK’s Youth Mobility Scheme visa, which is the UK equivalent of a working holiday visa, you can! In fact, thousands of backpackers travel each year between Australia and the UK – countries with strong cultural, economic and historical ties.

Some Australians may also be eligible for a UK Ancestry visa.

This guide contains information about the UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa (previously the “T5” visa) for Australian citizens. It also contains tips on living in the UK. It was last updated on 14 July 2025.

Key facts about the UK

Population: Approx. 69 million
Capital city: London
Largest cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool
Currency: Pound sterling (GBP)

UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa requirements

To apply for a UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa as an Australian citizen, you must meet the following requirements:

Aged between 18-35 years old (inclusive) at the time of application
Have at least £2,530 (approx. AUD5,000) in savings

You cannot apply for this visa if you:

Have dependent children who live with you and/or for whom you are financially responsible
Have already completed a working holiday in the UK under the same scheme

More information is available on the UK government’s website.

Documents needed to apply for this visa

When applying for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa for the UK as an Australian citizen, you’ll need to provide the following documents:

A valid passport
Bank statement showing you have at least £2,530 or foreign currency equivalent in savings (you must have had the money in your account for at least 28 days in a row, and the 28th day must be within a month of your application)

Visa costs

It costs £319 (approx. AUD650) to apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa.

However, you will also need to pay a £1,552 (approx. AUD3,180) Immigration Health Surcharge, bringing the total cost to around AUD3,830 for a 2-year visa application.

If you decide to extend your visa for a third year, you’ll need to pay another visa fee and health surcharge later on.

This is quite a lot of money, so you might want to consider a cheaper working holiday visa from a European country instead.

Immigration Health Surcharge

You will have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) at the time of applying for your visa. You can use the UK government’s calculator to determine exactly how much you would need to pay.

This would be refunded in the unlikely event your visa application is not approved.

An Australian coming to the UK on a Youth Mobility Scheme visa could expect to pay £776 (approx. AUD1,590) per year, or £1,552 (approx. AUD3,180) for two years. While this is quite a lot of money, in return you will have access to free medical treatment through the National Health Service (NHS) while in the UK.

How to apply for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa for the UK

You can apply for a UK working holiday visa up to six months before your intended arrival date in the UK. It generally takes around three weeks to get a decision but could take up to eight weeks, so ensure you leave enough time. You can pay an additional fee to get a faster turnaround time.

As of July 2025, average wait times are around three weeks.

You’ll need to apply online on the UK government’s website for this visa before arriving in the UK. You’ll then also need to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (in Australia, this generally means visiting a VFS Global office).

It is possible to apply for this visa from countries other than Australia, as long as you’re outside the UK. When applying for the visa online, you’ll be asked to select which visa application centre you want to visit.

Supporting documentation to show proof of funds

When applying for this visa, make sure that you include sufficient proof that you have had at least £2,530 in savings (or foreign currency equivalent) for at least the last 28 days.

Your application may be delayed if the UK government needs to request further documents to support that you have enough funds. Unfortunately, this is something that happens quite often and the UK Decision Making Centre has been known to request further evidence even when relevant bank statements have already been submitted.

In addition to (or instead of) sending bank statement copies, some people have suggested getting a certified letter from your local bank. This signed letter should state that you’ve had the required funds in your bank account for at least the last 28 days and include the bank branch details. This letter must be dated within 31 days of your visa application date.

Arriving in the UK

When making your visa application, you’ll need to provide your expected arrival date in the UK. Once your visa is issued, you’ll need to arrive in the UK within 90 days of the start date on your visa.

You must collect your biometric residence permit in the UK within 10 days after your arrival in the country.

If it’s not already printed on your biometric residence permit, you might also need to apply for a National Insurance Number after arriving. You’ll need this if you want to work and/or open a UK bank account.

Settling in

If you wish to open a bank account, you may need a local address. But some banks no longer require this. You could also consider opening an online bank account, e.g. with Monzo.

Speaking of your address, you’ll need to find somewhere to live. Rental properties can be notoriously expensive in London, but may be more affordable in smaller cities and regional areas – as well as various boroughs of London.

If you do want to live and work in London, be prepared to commute to work every day. (Luckily, public transport in London is very good and you can even tap on & off the Tube using your credit card.) But don’t be afraid to live in other parts of the UK – there’s more than just London!

Spare Room and Badi can be useful websites for finding spare rooms and rentals with flatmates. Or you could try websites like Right Move or Zoopla if you’d like to rent a whole apartment.

Need accommodation when you arrive in London?

If you want to secure accommodation in London before you arrive, we recommend getting in touch with Crenns Properties. They are a family-run business that has been providing accommodation in shared houses for over 25 years to Aussies and Kiwis in West London.

All houses are close to the Tube and their rooms are fully furnished, so you don’t need to worry about buying furniture. You’ll share a kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities.

You can sign up for a short-term tenancy (starting with just a 1-month stay when you first arrive in London) or you can stay long-term. Your deposit will be registered and you will be given a proper contract. You can book a room before you arrive, so check their availability if you don’t want to spend your first weeks in London staying in a hotel or hostel!

See our guide to finding accommodation in London for more details.

After arriving you should also consider purchasing a UK SIM card and registering with a local doctor.

The Aussies in London website and Facebook group may also be useful resources for you. Plus, be sure to read our guide to setting up your new life overseas!

Extending your Youth Mobility Scheme visa for a third year

If you’re an Australian currently living in the UK with a valid Youth Mobility Scheme visa, you can extend this visa for a third year. You can only do this once. (As of 31 January 2024, this option is also available to Canadians, South Koreans and New Zealanders.)

At the time of extending your visa, you’ll need to pay a new visa fee of £319 (approx. AUD650) and another year’s worth of the immigration Health Surcharge.

You can apply online to extend your original two-year visa up to 28 days before it’s due to expire. If approved, your new visa will be valid from the day after the old one expires.

If you intend to stay in the UK for a third year, we’d suggest requesting this extension as early as possible. It could take a bit of time for the UK government to process this.

You cannot travel outside of the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man between the time you request a visa extension and receiving a decision.

Unfortunately, if you’ve previously held a UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa which has already expired, and you’ve already left the UK, you can’t apply for a third year.

While best efforts are made to keep this information updated, we do not guarantee its accuracy. If you spot an error, would like to suggest new information to be added or simply have a question, please let us know in the comments and we’ll endeavour to respond or update the article as quickly as possible!

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