UK Youth Mobility Scheme 2026: 13 Countries With High Visa Quotas Announced

• The UK government has published the full list of countries and territories eligible for its 2026 Youth Mobility Scheme, along with each nation's annual allocation of places
• Australia received the highest quota of any country on the list, with tens of thousands of slots made available for young applicants
• The allocations vary significantly across the 13 participating countries and territories, with some nations receiving as few as 100 places

The United Kingdom government has released the official list of countries and territories participating in its Youth Mobility Scheme for 2026, together with the maximum number of places allocated to each nation for the year.

The scheme's eligibility list, published by the UK federal government, covers 13 countries and territories. It reveals a wide gap between the nations that receive the largest quotas and those with more limited allocations.

UK: Countries with highest Youth Mobility quotas

The Youth Mobility Scheme allows young people from eligible countries to live and work in the UK for up to two years, providing them with an opportunity to gain international experience. Below are the 13 eligible countries with their quotas.

1. Andorra - 100 places
2. Australia – 38,500 places
3. Canada – 10,000 places
4. Hong Kong - 1,000 places
5. Iceland – 1,000 places
6. India - 3,000 places
7. Japan - 6,000 places
8. Monaco – 1,000 places
9. New Zealand – 8,000 places
10. Republic of Korea - 5,000 places
11. San Marino – 1,000 places
12. Taiwan – 1,000 places
13. Uruguay - 500 places

Notably, no African country appears on the 2026 list, meaning young people from nations such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa are not currently eligible to apply through this route.

In a similar story, Legit.ng also published that the UK government announced the countries whose citizens can apply for a Youth Mobility visa under the age of 35.

30 countries qualify for Australian Holiday visa

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia announced its First Work and Holiday visa, mentioning the 30 countries whose citizens can apply and the age requirements for the programme.

But citizens of China, India, and Vietnam must first win a ballot before applying, while Nigerians and other Africans are excluded from the visa list altogether.