United Kingdom: First Ballot for India Young Professional Scheme Open; Additional Guidance on Reciprocal Scheme Published
February 28, 2023
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At a Glance
- The Home Office has opened the first ballot period for the India Young Professional Scheme and has issued guidance related to entry under the ballot. The scheme will close on March 2, 2023.
- The scheme is reciprocal – nationals of each country can apply to live, study, travel and work in each other’s country. News on this program from India is pending and will be published separately.
Update March 2, 2023: The first ballot of the 2023 India Young Professionals Scheme has now closed. Details of the next ballot will be published here.
The situation
The Home Office has announced the opening of the first ballot under the India Young Professional Scheme, under which successful applicants can live, work and study in the United Kingdom for a period of 24 months, and has published guidance on the scheme.
A closer look
Ballot period. Further to our previous alert, the Home Office has confirmed that the first ballot for the India Young Professional Scheme is open (as of 14:30 Indian Standard Time on February 28, 2023) and will close at 14:30 Indian Standard time on March 2, 2023 (the closing time has now been extended to 20:59 Indian Standard Time due to technical glitches that resulted in the restart of the ballot).
- Program details. The ballot is open to Indian nationals between 18-30 years old, or those who would be 18 at the date of travel under the scheme, who have a bachelor’s degree level or above, savings of at least GBP 2,530 to support themselves and who have no children below 18 who they live with or support. Individuals selected by ballot can then apply under the scheme within 30 days of being notified of selection.
- Costs. Entering the ballot is free but it costs GBP 259 to apply under the Scheme. Those who are not chosen in the first ballot can submit another application in future ballots.
- Guidance statements. The published guidance adds further context to the scheme and confirms it is reciprocated by India whereby British nationals will also be able to apply to enter India to live, work or study.
Impact
Interested applicants can now submit a ballot for the program online.
The scheme provides a specific entry pathway for qualifying Indian nationals with a relatively short processing time as compared to other schemes.
Background
The Young Professional Scheme is part of the UK-India Mobility and Migration Partnership, signed in May 2021, which includes commitments to enhance migration arrangements and efforts to strengthen cooperation around immigration violations between India and the United Kingdom.
Looking ahead
This could be the start of further immigration agreements between the United Kingdom and India and the foundation for future trade agreements. We will track and report future developments.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
