The United Kingdom’s Home Office has officially fixed the next ballot window for the India Young Professionals Scheme (IYPS) visa, the unsponsored work-and-travel route that lets Indian nationals aged 18-30 live and work in Britain for up to two years. According to the updated guidance, the online ballot will open at 2:30 p.m. IST on 17 February 2026 and close exactly 48 hours later at 2:30 p.m. IST on 19 February 2026. A total of 3,000 places are available for the 2026 quota, most of which will be released in this first ballot.(business-standard.com)
The IYPS is part of a reciprocal mobility agreement concluded in 2022. It differs from traditional work visas because successful entrants do not need a job offer, labour-market test or employer sponsorship. Instead, they pay a £319 application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge (£1,552 for two years) and must show £2,530 in savings when they submit their visa application after being selected. They also need a bachelor’s-level qualification and must not have dependent children.(business-standard.com)
Applicants who want extra help streamlining these requirements can consult VisaHQ, whose India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) offers step-by-step checklists, fee calculators and deadline reminders for UK visas and many other destinations. The service’s consolidated guidance can save time during the tight 90-day window that follows ballot selection, ensuring no supporting document is overlooked.
![UK-India Young Professionals ballot dates confirmed for 2026 round]()
For Indian graduates and early-career professionals, the scheme offers an attractive bridge to the UK job market at a time when employer-sponsored visas have become costlier under recent immigration reforms. Recruiters say the route is popular with tech start-ups and SMEs that cannot afford sponsorship licences but still want access to India’s STEM talent pool. Immigration lawyers advise candidates to prepare documents in advance because the post-selection timeline is tight: biometrics and the full visa filing must be completed within 90 days.
Indian employers with UK subsidiaries are also watching the scheme closely. HR teams note that the unsponsored nature of the IYPS makes secondments administratively lighter and cheaper than a Skilled-Worker transfer, though the two-year cap means workforce planners must build in succession strategies. With demand expected to far outstrip supply—last year more than 70,000 Indians entered for 3,000 slots—experts recommend entering every ballot published throughout the year.
Overall, the confirmed dates give graduates, mobility managers and relocation firms a clear runway to prepare for the 2026 application cycle, helping businesses plug short-term skill gaps while giving young Indians coveted overseas experience.
The IYPS is part of a reciprocal mobility agreement concluded in 2022. It differs from traditional work visas because successful entrants do not need a job offer, labour-market test or employer sponsorship. Instead, they pay a £319 application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge (£1,552 for two years) and must show £2,530 in savings when they submit their visa application after being selected. They also need a bachelor’s-level qualification and must not have dependent children.(business-standard.com)
Applicants who want extra help streamlining these requirements can consult VisaHQ, whose India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) offers step-by-step checklists, fee calculators and deadline reminders for UK visas and many other destinations. The service’s consolidated guidance can save time during the tight 90-day window that follows ballot selection, ensuring no supporting document is overlooked.
For Indian graduates and early-career professionals, the scheme offers an attractive bridge to the UK job market at a time when employer-sponsored visas have become costlier under recent immigration reforms. Recruiters say the route is popular with tech start-ups and SMEs that cannot afford sponsorship licences but still want access to India’s STEM talent pool. Immigration lawyers advise candidates to prepare documents in advance because the post-selection timeline is tight: biometrics and the full visa filing must be completed within 90 days.
Indian employers with UK subsidiaries are also watching the scheme closely. HR teams note that the unsponsored nature of the IYPS makes secondments administratively lighter and cheaper than a Skilled-Worker transfer, though the two-year cap means workforce planners must build in succession strategies. With demand expected to far outstrip supply—last year more than 70,000 Indians entered for 3,000 slots—experts recommend entering every ballot published throughout the year.
Overall, the confirmed dates give graduates, mobility managers and relocation firms a clear runway to prepare for the 2026 application cycle, helping businesses plug short-term skill gaps while giving young Indians coveted overseas experience.
