Since 1 January 2014, Hong Kong has become one of the participants of United Kingdom (UK)'s Youth Mobility Scheme. The annual quota for HKSAR passport holders is 1,000.

Hong Kong participants wanting to travel to the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme are no longer required to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). From July 2019, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will instead run a lottery to allocate the remaining places on the Scheme in 2019.

According to the announcement published on the British Consulate-General Hong Kong's website, Hong Kong applicants who meet the eligibility criteria and wish to apply for the remaining places on the Youth Mobility Scheme in 2019 should send an email to the specific email address of the UKVI between 24 July 2019 (Wednesday), 12:00 pm (Hong Kong time) to 26 July 2019 (Friday), 12:00 pm (Hong Kong time). The email address and detailed arrangements can be found on the British Consulate-General Hong Kong's website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-youth-mobility-scheme-2019-for-hong-kong-sar-passport-holders
https://www.gov.uk/world/hong-kong/news

The new arrangement will not affect those participants who registered the 2019 main round CoS earlier this year. Those who have been allocated a CoS will still be able to apply for their Tier 5 YMS visa within the validity period of the CoS.

The eligibility criteria and further information of the Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) can be obtained from the UK Government website at:
https://www.gov.uk/tier-5-youth-mobility.

Ends/Tuesday, July 2, 2019