The UK-India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) 2025 ballot to open on 18 February
The UK-India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) 2025 ballot is set to open next week. Anyone intending to apply for a visa for the scheme this year must first be successful in the ballot.
There are 3,000 places available for the India Young Professionals Scheme visa in 2025. Most places will be available in the February ballot, with the remaining places being allocated in a second and final ballot in July.
Indian nationals aged 18 to 30 must enter the ballot on gov.uk to be considered for one of the 3,000 spots available under the scheme. The ballot is scheduled to open on 18 February and close on 20 February. Applicants do not need to pay to enter the ballot, and successful entries will be picked at random.
Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, said: “The Young Professionals Scheme is an excellent programme which helps build a modern understanding of our countries among Brits and Indians alike. I strongly encourage people from all corners of the country to apply – from Itanagar to Coimbatore, from Leh to Surat, and from Bhubaneshwar to Indore.”
What is the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme?
Launched in February 2023, the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) is a bespoke, reciprocal visa scheme which offers British and Indian nationals the unique opportunity to live, study, travel and work in the other country for up to two years.
To be eligible for a UK visa under this scheme, you must:
- be an Indian citizen
- be between 18 and 30 years old
- have an eligible qualification
- have £2,530 in savings.
You must be selected in the India Young Professionals Scheme ballot before you can apply for this visa. Applicants should ensure they meet all eligibility requirements before entering the ballot.
How to enter the ballot
The YPS ballot for Indian nationals wanting to travel to the UK is free to enter. The link to enter will be on this page.
The next India Young Professionals Scheme ballot will open at 2:30pm India Standard Time on 18 February 2025, and will close at 2:30pm India Standard Time on 20 February 2025. You can enter the ballot at any time while it is open.
When you enter, you will need to provide your:
- name
- date of birth
- passport details
- a scan or photo of your passport
- phone number
- email address.
You can only submit one entry per person for each ballot. Any further attempts to enter will not be counted.
Those selected from the ballot will be notified via email within two weeks of the ballot closing and will be invited to apply for the visa. They will then have 90 days from the date of the email informing them of their success in the ballot to make an application to the UK Home Office via the online application form, provide their biometrics and pay all associated fees, including the visa application fee and immigration health surcharge.
For more information on this visa scheme, please visit the GOV.UK website here.
