United Kingdom: Taiwan Youth Mobility Scheme Ballot to Open July 23, 2024

• Ballot period. The second ballot will open at 00:01 Taiwan Time on July 23, 2024 and will close after 00:01 Taiwan Time on July 25, 2024.
• Program details. The ballot is open to Taiwanese between 18-30 years old, at the date of travel under the scheme, who have savings of at least GBP 2,530 and who have no children below 18 with whom they live or support. Individuals selected by ballot then have 90 days to apply for a visa under the scheme, pay the visa application fee (including immigration health surcharge) and provide biometrics.
• Quota. The quota for the second ballot is 200 places. The first ballot for 2024 – held across late January and early February 2024 – allocated 800 places.
• Costs. Entering the ballot is free but it costs GBP 298 to apply under the Scheme. Those who are not chosen in the upcoming ballot can submit another application in future ballots.
• Application. When the application window opens, interested applicants will be able to submit a ballot for the program via an email process.

The scheme provides a specific entry pathway for Taiwanese with a relatively short processing time as compared to other schemes.

• Youth Mobility Schemes. The United Kingdom has established multiple Youth Mobility Schemes (YMS), which allow a person from a participating country or territory to experience life in the United Kingdom and work without sponsorship. It has established YMS pathways for Australians, Canadians, Hong Kong SAR Chinese, Icelanders, Japanese, New Zealanders, South Koreans, and Uruguayans, among others. Quotas and age eligibility requirements vary according to each program. Additionally, Hong Kong SAR Chinese (like Taiwanese) must be selected by a ballot process.
• Indian Young Professional Scheme. The United Kingdom also has an Indian Young Professional Scheme – which will also open a second-round ballot for its 2024 scheme in July. As a distinction from the YMS regimes, the Indian Young Professional Scheme requires applicants to prove educational qualifications.

In April 2024, the European Commission proposed opening negotiations with the United Kingdom regarding youth mobility opportunities between the European Union and the United Kingdom. In response, UK politicians from both sides of the electoral spectrum rejected the proposal, with some noting the proposal's conceptual similarity with the sort of free movement that was rejected under Brexit. It remains to be seen whether UK legislators warm to the proposal in the wake of the recent election, especially given the proposal’s limited scope and the broader trend of the European Union and the United Kingdom re-establishing cooperative schemes that were lost following Brexit (for instance, the Horizon Europe science program).