Following a meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in November 2022, the British PM announced a reciprocal UK-India Young Professionals Scheme to be introduced as part of the Roadmap 2030 for a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. In January 2023, following weeks of consultations between the two countries, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs released a statement to confirm the launch date.
In the UK, the India Young Professionals Scheme will operate under the Youth Mobility Scheme allowing Indian citizens aged between 18 and 30 years old to live and work in the country for up to 24 months. They must have a qualification at bachelor’s degree level or above, have £2,530 in savings to maintain themselves in the UK and have no dependent children under the age of 18 years old. They will have to undergo TB screening and have a police report.
One must be invited to apply through a free ballot system which will open at 2.30pm IST (9.00am GMT) on 28 February 2023 and close at 2.30pm IST (9.00am GMT) on 2 March 2023. Those who are eligible can enter the ballot using a link to be published on the UK Visas and Immigration website (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/india-young-professionals-scheme-visa-ballot-system). They will need to provide their name, date of birth, passport details, a screenshot of their Indian passport, phone number and email address. 2,400 visas will be available in the February ballot and entries will be selected at random within two weeks of the ballot closing. The results of the ballot cannot be appealed.
Successful entries will be invited to apply for a visa online within 30 days at a cost of £259 (application fee) and £940 (Immigration Health Surcharge) and travel to the UK within 6 months of applying. Once in the UK, young professionals will be able to study, work, be self-employed or set up a business (which they can run from home or rented office premises so long as they have no employees or equipment worth more than £5,000).
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Contact our immigration team at:
Elena Tsirlina – elenatsirlina@cdsmayfair.com
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