UK Announces Annual Allocation of Youth Mobility Visa Places By Country

• The UK government has published its official Youth Mobility Scheme allocations for 2026, listing 13 eligible countries and their place limits
• Australia received the largest allocation with 38,500 places, dwarfing the quotas assigned to other participating nations
• India, which joined the scheme more recently, was allocated 3,000 places, while several smaller nations received as few as 100 spots

The UK government has published its official Youth Mobility Scheme place allocations for 2026, revealing how many visa spots each of the 13 eligible countries will receive this year.

The figures, listed in the UK government's immigration rules for the Youth Mobility Scheme, show a wide spread in allocations, from a high of 38,500 places for Australia down to just 100 for Andorra.

List of Youth Mobility Scheme allocations

Australia leads the list by a significant margin with 38,500 places, followed by New Zealand on 8,000 and Canada with 10,000. Japan has been allocated 6,000 spots, while the Republic of Korea receives 5,000. India, which secured access to the scheme through a bilateral agreement, has been given 3,000 places.

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Several countries sit at the 1,000 mark, including Hong Kong, Iceland, Monaco, San Marino, and Taiwan. Uruguay receives the second-lowest allocation at 500, while Andorra sits at the bottom of the list with just 100 places.

The full breakdown is as follows:

1. Andorra - 100 places
2. Australia – 38,500 places
3. Canada – 10,000 places
4. Hong Kong - 1,000 places
5. Iceland – 1,000 places
6. India - 3,000 places
7. Japan - 6,000 places
8. Monaco – 1,000 places
9. New Zealand – 8,000 places
10. Republic of Korea - 5,000 places
11. San Marino – 1,000 places
12. Taiwan – 1,000 places
13. Uruguay - 500 places

What Youth Mobility Scheme offers

The Youth Mobility Scheme allows young people from eligible countries to live and work in the United Kingdom for up to two years, with some nationalities able to extend that stay to three years. It is a reciprocal arrangement, meaning the UK and participating countries each grant similar opportunities to one another's young citizens.

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Notably, no African country appears on the list of eligible nations, meaning young people from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and other African countries do not currently have access to this visa route. The scheme remains limited to a relatively small group of countries with existing bilateral agreements with the UK.

In a similar report, Legit.ng published that the UK announces countries whose citizens can apply for the Youth Mobility Visa under the age of 35.

UK Youth Mobility: Visa quotas announced

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the UK announced its 2026 Youth Mobility Scheme, including the 13 countries and territories eligible to apply and their annual visa quotas. Australia received the highest allocation with 38,500 places, while Andorra got just 100.

The scheme allows eligible young people to live and work in the UK for up to two years, but no African country made the 2026 list. This means citizens of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa cannot currently apply through this route.

Source: Legit.ng