UK India Young Professionals Scheme:- At the G20 conference in Bali on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared a new relationship with India. The U.K. will yearly offer 3,000 degree-holding Indians in the 18 to 30 age range jobs in the U.K. for up to two years under the UK India Young Professionals Scheme. Beginning in early 2023, the program will operate on a reciprocal basis. Read below to get detailed information related to the scheme like highlights, objectives, features of the Young Professionals Scheme, time duration, Youth Mobility Visa, selection criteria, and much more
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UK India Young Professionals Scheme 2023
The new UK-India Young Professionals Scheme, under which the UK will annually grant 3,000 seats to 18–30-year-old degree-educated Indian nationals to travel to the UK and live and work there for up to two years, was confirmed during the two leaders’ meeting on Wednesday. It will be a reciprocal system. The new plan would strengthen the connections between India and the UK in terms of both culture and commerce.
India makes up a quarter of all foreign students in the UK. This demonstrates the close bilateral ties that exist between the two nations. Around 95,000 employments nationwide are directly supported by India’s investment in the UK. Additionally, the plan will strengthen the UK’s relations with the Indo-Pacific area. The UK had taken several steps to improve relations with the nations in the area, particularly in terms of security.
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UK India Young Professionals Scheme Application Submission Starts on 28th Feb
Applications are now being accepted for the UK government’s Young Professionals visa program, with ballots beginning on February 28. Indian citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 may vote if they meet other pertinent criteria, according to an update provided by the British High Commission in India. The UK government confirmed on Tuesday that there are 2,400 visas available to qualified Indians under the UK-India Young Professional Initiative in the first ballot that will open at the end of this month. The program enables Indian nationals between the ages of 18 and 30 to reside and work in the UK for up to two years. British nationals will be given comparable permits to live and work in India under the reciprocal agreement agreed to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Rishi Sunak, during the G20 conference in Bali last November.
Successful ballot applicants must submit their visa applications by the deadline specified in a subsequent invitation to apply, which is often within 30 days. Within six months of requesting your visa, the chosen applicant must visit the UK. The application price is GBP 259, and there are other expenses such as a GBP 940 healthcare premium and documentation of the applicant’s GBP 2,530 in personal savings. You will receive a visa that allows you to stay and work in the UK for up to 24 months. Whenever your visa is still in effect, you are free to enter the UK and depart at any time. Candidates who don’t make the cut can apply for subsequent elections; the next is slated to take place in July. For British citizens eager to take advantage of the new option to apply for a two-year Indian visa, the High Commission of India in London will be handling the ballots and visas on the UK end of the scheme.
Applications Invited for UK India Young Professionals Scheme
For the Young Professionals visa program, the British government has issued an invitation to apply. In order to be considered, qualified candidates must submit a ballot between February 28 and March 2. Indian citizens between the ages of 18 and 20 who hold graduate or postgraduate degrees are eligible for the Young Professionals Scheme. It is important to remember that the voting period has not yet begun for this specific immigration program. The ballot will choose participants at random, and if you are chosen, you will be invited to submit your visa application. Anyone who has not received an invitation is ineligible to apply this time.
The program would provide 3,000 spots annually to qualified Indians so they may live and work in the UK for up to two years. The agreement was approved during the G20 Summit in Bali in November by the British PM Rishi Sunak and the Indian PM Narendra Modi. It was the first time the UK has done this with a nation like India that does not require visas, according to the British High Commissioner at the time.
Young Professionals Scheme to be launched on 28th Feb 2023
The Young Professionals Scheme, which will be launched by India and the UK next month, would allow degree-holding Indian citizens in the age range of 18 to 30 to live and work in Britain for up to two years. Following the 15th India-UK Foreign Office Consultations, a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the program would be introduced on February 28. Barton and Kwatra acknowledged at the FOC that letters formalizing the Young Professional Scheme were exchanged on January 9 in London in honor of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
For up to two years, the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme will provide 3,000 degree-educated Indian citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 with the opportunity to live and work in the UK. Because the scheme is reciprocal, professionals in the same position in the UK will also be able to take part by relocating to and working in India. The approval of the Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations establishes a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the UK and India.
UK India Young Professionals Scheme Highlights
| Scheme Name | UK India Young Professionals Scheme |
| Introduced by | British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak |
| Introduced at | G20 conference in Bali on Wednesday |
| Total beneficiaries | 3,000 degree-holding Indians |
| Age Group | 18 to 30 years |
UK India Young Professionals Scheme Objective
In the UK, there is a labor shortage in several sectors, including construction, manufacturing, and hospitality. According to a recent survey, the labor shortages in the UK were affecting three-quarters of the country’s enterprises. Concerns about a labor shortage were attributed to the BREXIT. Before the pandemic, industries that significantly relied on the EU countries experienced a labor shortage in particular. The country’s labor shortfall will be addressed through the Young Professionals Scheme.
UK India Young Professionals Scheme Features
Some of the key features of the Young Professionals Scheme are as follows:
- The UK will provide 3,000 visas a year under the new UK-India Young Professionals Scheme.
- Under the program, degree-holding Indian nationals are allowed to reside and work in the UK for up to two years.
- It will be a reciprocal system.
- The recipients of these visas will be young professionals between the ages of 18 and 30.
- More than nearly any other nation in the Indo-Pacific area, the UK has connections to India.
- India accounts for over a quarter of all foreign students in the UK, and Indian investment in the country sustains 95,000 jobs nationwide.
Young Professionals Scheme Time Duration
According to High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami, the program would begin in March 2023 and last for three years. Indian and British nationals are permitted to visit, study, or work in each other’s countries for two years. 3,000 candidates will be exchanged between the two countries.
Who Can Apply for UK Visa Under UK India Young Professionals Scheme
Applicants for the Young Professionals scheme must possess a diploma or degree that is equivalent to at least three years of higher education and be fluent in the language of the host country, in contrast to the Youth Mobility Scheme, which has neither educational requirements nor English language requirements. The eligibility rules have not yet been finalized, but it is also likely that the visa may require sponsorship or a job offer from a named employer, differentiating it from the unsponsored Youth Mobility Scheme option.
Youth Mobility Visa
As part of the program, Indians will need to know the language of the host nation and have a diploma or degree that is equivalent to at least three years of higher study. The approval of 3,000 visas each year for young professionals from India to work in the UK has been issued by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The UK-India Migration and Mobility Partnership, which was established last year, is strong, according to the British government, which claimed that India is the first visa-national country to profit from it.
Selection Criteria of Candidates for the Scheme
This is still unclear. Because millions of Indian citizens match the eligibility standards, it is anticipated that this visa will be oversubscribed. As in certain countries for the Youth Mobility visa where places are severely limited, it is conceivable that there will be a lottery for spots in this scenario. There are also worries that if this category provides a more affordable means to recruit people to the UK, big IT firms may dominate it and seize control of the few spots available.