UK-India Young Professionals scheme offers 3,000 visas to Indians to work in UK for up to 2 years

NEW DELHI: United Kingdom prime minster, Rishi Sunak greenlights 3,000 visas for young Indians to live and work in the UK for upto 2 years. The UK-India Young professionals scheme offers an a opportunity to degree-educated Indian nationals from ages 18 to 30 years.

“Today the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme was confirmed, offering 3,000 places to 18-30-year-old degree-educated Indian nationals to come to the UK to live and work for up to two years,” said Rishi Sunak’s Office on Twitter. The announcement came hours after Sunak met prime minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 17th edition of the G20 Summit.

Today the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme was confirmed, offering 3,000 places to 18–30 year-old degree educated Indian nationals to come to the UK to live and work for up to two years. pic.twitter.com/K6LlSDLne4

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 16, 2022

UK-India Young Professionals scheme eligibility

The young professional scheme holds similarities to the Youth Mobility scheme which has no qualifications or English language requirement. The applicants to the new scheme are required a minimum of holding a diploma or degree equivalent to at least three years of higher education and be able to express themselves in the language of the host country, English.

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The selection process of picking 3,000 Indian professionals is not announced yet, however, it is likely that this visa will be over-subscribed, with millions of Indians meeting the eligibility requirements. Few have voiced concerns of the category getting dominated by tech professional gaining monopoly on the scheme.

Sunak’s office said India is the first visa-national country to benefit from such a scheme. “I am pleased that even more of India’s brightest young people will now have the opportunity to experience all that life in the UK has to offer – and vice-versa - making our economies and societies richer,” the UK PM said.

Official UK statistics show nearly a quarter of all international students in the UK belonging to India and how Indian investment into the UK supports almost 95,000 jobs across the United Kingdom. "The launch of the scheme is a significant moment both for our bilateral relationship with India and the UK's wider commitment to forging stronger links with the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen both our economies," Downing Street said in a statement.

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