The Youth Mobility Scheme
The youth mobility scheme is a visa for under 35s for those nationalities with a relationship with the UK (e.g NZ, Australia, South Korea, Canada etc). It is also the visa that I currently hold. This visa does not have a lot of requirements, only that you are from the approved list of countries, and you have 2530 (gpd) in your bank for a consecutive of 28 days. It allows you to work and live freely for up to 2 to 3 years and have access to the National Health Insurance (NHS).
Now, while it is relatively easy to apply, there is information that I wish I had while doing so. Having booked our flights only two months before leaving, we were on a tight deadline, and unfortunately, everything that could go wrong, did. During the process, finding the answers to our questions was a mission to say the least, so, as this was the very beginning of the journey, consider this a guide for you on yours.
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Cardiff City - ‘The Bay’
1. Money
First, lay out all your finances. You will need:
The application fee – 298 GPD
Healthcare surcharge/National Healthcare Service (NHS) – 470 GPD p/y
Money in the bank – 2530 GPD
First glance, looks good. But a few notes –
This is all in GPD, which would do well to convert. So unfortunately, if you’re from Australia/NZ, these fees just doubled.
The healthcare surcharge is per year, and this is one of the first things you will need to pay for. Due to the visa being for 2 years, you will need to pay both years up front before you can continue with your application.
The third year I’ve heard is double. You pay this when your elongating your stay.
Money in the bank is required to be there for 28 days, and that must fall within 31 days of you leaving the country. It cannot be a term deposit (I tried) and keep an eye on the currency exchange rate. You would do good to have a little extra in there just incase it fluctuates. By this, I mean that it could show that you have ‘less’ in there according to the GPD conversion rate. When the 28 days has matured, get the statement printed and signed off at the bank.
Now, if your parents are like mine, they would suggest the idea of getting a credit card ‘incase of emergencies’. Honestly, not a dumb idea, but do this BEFORE you quit your job (unlike me) so they (the bank) know you’ll be able to pay it back. Time was wasted in interviews before I realised that it was too late.
Some of this is basic information mentioned on the Govt. website but this application is a step by step process. This means that until one thing is done (for example, paying the NHS fee), you can’t move on to the next. So, make sure you give yourselves plenty of time.
2. Biometrics
I believe it is a requirement for most (if not all) to get their biometrics done. This is a passport style photo and fingerprints which will issue you your residency card that you will then have to collect when you arrive in the UK.
Upon application you will need to choose a location across the UK to pick it up, most likely a post office. You will have 10 days upon entry into the UK to pick it up, or you have a temp visa for 90 days.
Now if you’re based in NZ, there are only a handful of places that are able to do this for you. If you’re in Auckland, be warned of the wait times. My friends had more time than we did, but had to wait a few weeks before getting an appointment. If you’re like us and based in a smaller city, travel is needed. We had to travel to Christchurch to get ours, but fortunately, we didn’t have to wait too long.
Appointments are 15minutes long, and even if you’re going through the process as a couple or with a friend, you’ll be by yourself in the interview room. It’s a quick process, and they’ll send you on your way with a postal address and instructions. They will deal with your biometrics, while you deal with sending away your passport and supporting documents to the provided address. Don’t forget to provide a return address for your passport at a place you know you’ll receive it before your trip.
Upon this meeting, you would have everything you need. At this rate the hard part has ended and the waiting game has begun. Through the grapevine, I’ve heard that these passports are then sent to the Philipines. From here, you would be sent an email with either questions for further apprasisal, or an approval. Your passport is then sent back with your 90 day visa access, as well as a prepaid UK SIM card.
3. Sped-Up Process
As with everything, money is a large environmental factor. Fortunately for me, I had funds lined up already in my account so I could get my visa processed back in time before I left. Unfortunately, however, for my partner, he had to ask for money to be transferred into his account while he waited for his resignation check. This meant that he did not want to risk a delay in processing despite being a few days behind me. This cost him roughly $1000 NZD for an expedited visa processing.
I kid you not when he got his passport 2 DAYS BEFORE we left. Meaning we were leaving on Sunday and could not wait until Saturday morning for a delivery. You best believe that on Friday afternoon we were chasing that passport around town until its delivery around 4:30pm. You may think there is plenty of time, but I don’t suggest waiting until 2weeks before your departure date to submit your passport/visa application. It may come back on time, but it also may not.
4. More Money, and Getting Settled
You will need money for travel. You will need money to put down a flat deposit. You may need a UK guarantor when you get there in order to move somewhere. You will definitely need an address. This address is what you need when setting up a bank account, applying for jobs, registering for a doctor, and getting your National Insurance number.
We used family of friends, vague people we knew, and fortunately we didn’t need a guarantor. But mind you it was a month before we found a house, though it would’ve been much less if real estate agents actually showed up to viewings… Things will happen, unfortunate things will happen. But the UK dream is much like the American dream - It’s always better on paper. If we had done this 10years ago then maybe we wouldn’t be feeling the same way. But after Brexit, the cost of living has hit. Hard.
5. Cost of Living
Things to know when you get here. You will need to apply for an:
This is for when you start work so you can pay tax just like everyone else (but, you may also get a tax return)
You cannot apply until you have landed in the UK
NHS: National health Services.
Register with a nearby doctor which is based on your postcode. This is free and services are free. And if you ever need to go to a hospital, this will ensure you don’t pay for any bills
The doctors will provide your NHS number.
TV License
Yes, you need a license to watch TV. If you have a TV, or you watch any live channels such as BBC, E4 you will need this. Roughly costing 160 GPD
Council Tax
A tax for living in a flat. The homeowners do not pay this and costs can vary depending on the area you live in. Even better, if you live with students, they are exempt. So, you can expect to pick up the bill.
Once you’ve found your living situation, you can be sure that this will be provided.
6. NZ Student Loan
For those with an NZ student loan, there are certain steps you need to take before leaving the country for longer periods of time.
Within 180 days of leaving the country (or beforehand) you may be eligible to apply for a Temporary Repayment Suspension. This means that that you will be exempt from repaying your loan, or garnering any tax for up to 12 months. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline so I cannot share on the process aside from getting in touch with StudyLink.
If you’re like me and also missed that deadline, you will be required to pay a portion of your student loan, tax and all. The first “suggested” repayment may be due sometime in January, but the full payment is required at the end of March (timing may vary).
If you are fortunate enough to have the money to afford it, or you have planned this in advance, then great! Otherwise, for the rest of us, there are flexible repayment plans available.
First you’ll need to set up a direct debit which can take upto two weeks for it to be approved. From here, you can control how much of your student loan you want to pay over any amount of time you choose, and how frequently you’ll pay. Depending on what account you direct debit from, the payment will come out in your local currency.
For example, I chose to pay over a period of 6 months (when I knew i’d be working), I also chose to pay monthly considering I get paid monthly. So, per month I am paying $500-ish towards my student loan, which comes to about 250GPD-ish per month.
While its not entirely convenient to be repaying this alongside cost of living, it just has to happen. You can imagine my panic when I realised this just a little too late, but there are solutions if you miss the deadline for the loan suspension, or if you’re travelling for longer than a year.
A gentle reminder that its not always dark and grey.
Ultimately the UK has been a great experience, but living in the UK is not the grass on the other side as it’s cut out to be, at least for us. We came here with the idea to use it as a base in order to travel to other countries. And for that, we have seen so many places that have not been accessible for us before. But through the stories filtered down by our older counterparts and the propaganda of ‘Kiwis and Australians in the UK,’ the OE and the quality of living of which it’s been made out to be has burnt both kiwis and Australians in the backside.
In saying that, it is also possible to have a great time. We came here with loose planning, nothing besides the packs on our backs and our paid out annual leave, only to land in jobs which didn’t quite live up to the hype. But, we managed to find great friends which made the dark winter just a little bit easier to survive. So, If you have family and friends to support you and the patience of settling into a new country, it could, and would be amazing, and for that, I wish you the best!