UK Youth Mobility and Ancestry visas for Aussies

Two visas do most of the heavy lifting for Australians heading to the UK. One rewards being young. The other rewards having the right grandparent.

The short version

Youth Mobility Scheme: apply aged 18 to 35, with £2,530 in savings. Two years, plus a one-year extension for Australians. Fee £340, health surcharge usually £776 a year [1][2].
UK Ancestry: for Commonwealth citizens aged 17 or over with a grandparent born in the UK. Five years, fee £726, plus the health surcharge [4][5].
Australians don't go through a ballot for Youth Mobility. You just apply [2].
Ancestry can lead to settlement, but the UK is reviewing settlement rules. Check the latest before you plan around a five-year timeline [6][7].

Side by side

	Youth Mobility Scheme	UK Ancestry
Age	18 to 35 when you apply [2]	17 or older [5]
Key requirement	£2,530 savings held for 28 days [2]	A grandparent born in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Ireland before 31 March 1922 [5]
Length	24 months, plus one 12-month extension for Australians [1][3]	5 years, can extend for another 5 [4]
Application fee	£340 [1]	£726 [4]
Health surcharge	Usually £776 a year [1]	Payable; check the amount when you apply [4]
Partner and kids	Can't be added [1]	Not covered in this guide; check GOV.UK
Work	Most jobs, not professional sport [1]	Must be able to work and intend to [5]
Apply from	6 months before travel [1]	3 months before travel [4]
Path to settlement	No	Possible after 5 years under current rules [4]

The Youth Mobility Scheme

This is the UK's version of a working holiday, but with fewer strings. Since 31 January 2024, Australians have been able to apply up to age 35 instead of 30, and can add an optional third year [9].

Who can apply

You must be an Australian citizen aged 18 to 35 when you apply. You can be over 35 by the time the visa starts [2]. You can't apply if you have children under 18 living with you, or children you're financially responsible for. You also can't apply if you've already been in the UK on the scheme [2].

The savings rule

You need at least £2,530 in your bank account. It must have been there for 28 days in a row, and day 28 must fall within 31 days of your application [2]. Dipping below the line for one day can sink the application, so park the money and leave it alone.

What you can and can't do

With a Youth Mobility visa you can [1]:

work in most jobs, full-time or part-time
study (some courses need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate)
be self-employed or set up a company, as long as your premises are rented, your equipment is worth no more than £5,000 and you have no employees

You can't work as a professional sportsperson, including as a coach, claim public funds, or bring family on your application [1].

The third year

Australians can extend once, for one year [3]. You must apply from inside the UK, no more than 28 days before your current visa runs out. The fee is £340 plus the £776 health surcharge. Decisions usually take up to eight weeks, and you can't leave the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you hear back [3]. Factor that into any Christmas trip home.

The UK Ancestry visa

If one of your grandparents was born in the UK, this is the visa to look at first. It's longer, it doesn't care how old you are, and it can lead to settlement.

Who qualifies

You must be a Commonwealth citizen, which includes Australians, and be 17 or older. You need to prove a grandparent was born in one of these places [5]:

the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
what is now the Republic of Ireland, before 31 March 1922
a ship or aircraft registered in the UK or owned by the UK government

It doesn't matter if you or your parent were adopted, or if your parents or grandparents weren't married. You can't claim through a step-parent [5].

You also need to show you're able to work and intend to, and that you have enough money to support and house yourself without public funds [5]. GOV.UK doesn't set a fixed savings figure for this, so bring clear evidence of funds and, ideally, job prospects.

Fees and timing

The fee is £726, and you'll usually also pay the health surcharge [4]. You can apply up to three months before you travel, and a decision from outside the UK usually takes about three weeks [4].

Extending and settling

After five years you may be able to extend for another five, or apply for indefinite leave to remain (settlement) [4]. That's the big draw: Ancestry has traditionally been one of the faster paths to settling in the UK.

Settlement rules are changing

The UK government has proposed an "earned settlement" model that would make 10 years the standard qualifying period for settlement on most routes, up from five. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026 [6].

As of October 2026, immigration lawyers reported that the 10-year baseline had not been implemented for existing five-year routes, no start date had been announced, and there was no confirmed blanket protection for people already on a visa [7]. What is already in the rules is a tougher English requirement: settlement applicants on several routes, including UK Ancestry, will need English at B2 level from 26 March 2027 [7].

If you're planning a long-term move on an Ancestry visa, check the current rules before you apply, and again before you hit five years.

How to apply, step by step

Pick your visa. Under 36 with no kids? Youth Mobility. British-born grandparent? Look at Ancestry first, as it's longer.
Gather documents. Passport, and for Ancestry, the full birth certificate chain: yours, your parent's and your grandparent's.
Get your money in order. For Youth Mobility, the £2,530 for 28 consecutive days [2]. For Ancestry, evidence you can support yourself [5].
Apply online within the window: six months before travel for Youth Mobility [1], three months for Ancestry [4].
Pay the fee and health surcharge.
Prove your identity, using the app or at a visa application centre.
Set up your UKVI account so you can access your eVisa and generate share codes for employers and landlords.

Common slip-ups

Booking flights before approval. Wait for the decision.
Using an ETA to "test the waters". The £20 ETA is for visits only. It doesn't let you work [8].
Missing a birth certificate. Ancestry claims live or die on documents. Order Australian and UK certificates early, as they can take weeks.
Forgetting the extension window. You can only apply in the last 28 days of your Youth Mobility visa [3].

Already sorted your visa? Read our guide to moving to London for the next steps, and join Cooee UK, our Facebook group for Australians in the UK, to ask people who've just been through it.

UK Youth Mobility and Ancestry visas: which one gets Australians to London