Youth Mobility Scheme Help Required

[insunandshadow]

Hi All,
I would like to apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme, but am a little confused about the process and have a few questions I hope someone here can help answer.

1) The Application Process: I've been reading the UK Border Services Site and it says I have to submit the following: VAF9 Form, Appendix 7 and a Self-Assessment Calculator Form. These are available in PDF from the site, but the site also says there is an on-line application process--what exactly does this consist of? Do I have to fill out both the manual forms as well as an online application? Where do I send the manual forms plus my supporting documentation? I've read the World Bridge Visa information site and was directed to the visa4UK.fco.gov.uk site for the online application.

2) Supporting Documentation: I understand this to be the passport, my passport sized photos and financial information --a statement or letter from my bank. Would I be better of sending both types of financial statements of is one sufficient? On the FAQs it said to send one or more of the ones listed, so I'm thinking of sending two. Any advice regarding these financial supporting documents?

3) Once you do the online application, am I to take the supporting documents to the VAC center and would they send you the address of the one located closest to you (I'm in Toronto).

4) How long does the process of approval take? If I wanted to leave for London in mid August, how far in advance should I apply? I'm hoping to begin my application process next week.

5) Can someone who's applied for this before give me an approximate cost of this whole process? I know there is the visa cost, but is there also a cost for doing the biometrics? Any other costs I might be missing?

6) Are rejections fairly common? And what might be the reasons for a possible rejection.

7) Finally, does anyone have any experience with doing the YMS through SWAP? Is going through them easier, more worth it than doing the process on your own?

Anyway, I know those seem like a lot of questions, maybe some of them basic, but I just really want to be clear on the process before I do this and want to make sure I have a successful application. Thanks in advance for your assistance, I really appreciate it.

[paigegail]

Hi there! So so many questions. The only answer I can give you is to do it through SWAP. Yes, going through SWAP is double the cost but the peace of mind is phenomenal. PLUS getting access to the SWAP forums is fantastic.

I'm leaving in a week and a half and all I can say is that SWAP made the process fantastically easy. Everything is step by step, right down the Visa process. Once registered they give you a 12 page e-mail with steps for ABSOLUTELY everything.

So if you can spare the extra coin, I'd just save myself the trouble and go through Swap

[insunandshadow]

Hey, thanks for your reply about SWAP. I'm not sure if I can spare the extra cash, but I'll look into it further.

I know I had a lot of questions but if anyone else can answer them, especially about the application process and length of time it takes to get approval, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

[JennaRose]

ok i just did this in April, so ill help you the best i can

1) yes you need to print and fill out both the vaf-9 and appendix 7 forms. You also need to complete the on line application form and print it out, you'll have payment details at the end of that. Personally i printed out the assessment calculator and filled in every form that they mentioned to make my process easier.

2) Required docs : Passport photo, current passport and letter from your financial institution stating the amount of funds in your savings account and that your account is in good standing. This is the only letter i got that mentioned my account balance, and made sure they stamped the letter with the official bank stamp as well as printed it on official letterhead. Nothing more was needed as long as it showed u has the equivalent of £1600 in the bank or more.

3) once you do your online application, the worldbridge one, you will get a web address to visit to set up your appointment for the VAC centre. You pick the date and time you like and it will give you the address. Lucky for you, you're in Toronto, the same one i went too. Its in the Eaton Centre, very easy to get too. You'll bring all your documents there with you and at the same place you'll be getting your biometrics done and that's it for the process!

4) it doesn't take very long at all. To give retrospect, i had my appointment on a Wednesday where i submitted all my documents, received an email on Thurs to say it was sent off to Ottawa, on Friday i received another email stating that my application was approved and on Monday i received my passport with my visa inside. Very fast. If your aiming for mid august then i suggest not applying until mid July. They want you to have your bank statement for no more then a month before you leave. So as long as your bank statement states for example purposes July 15 and on the visa application form you say your projected date of leave is august 14, then that's fine, even if you don't leave until august 18 or so. I stated on mine i was leaving on may 12, my statement was for April 14, and i didn't arrive here until may 19. There was no issues with it at all.
So if i were you i would make sure you'll have all the info required handy and not apply until about a month before you want to leave.

5) approximate total cost including new passport photos: $260
This includes the entire visa application fee and if selected, the fee for the return of your visa after its approved through post. Altho since you live in Toronto you may just want to pick it up, it will save you $15.00. I live in Grimsby so it was a more feasible option for me.

6) As for risk for rejection, im not entirely sure. As long as everything is filled out correctly and you have all the required docs then there should be no problem at all, unless you have a criminal record.

Also i included a letter from my boyfriends mother whom im staying with. It stated the address of where im staying, that she was a British national and also that i wont incur and expenses for food and board. If your in a similar situation, like if you have someone to stay with, then this will come in handy. It's not a must by any means but it helps.

Hope this helped! if u have any more questions then I'd be happy to answer them.

good luck!

[heathermac]

i just got mine last week!

and just to add to JennaRose's response - the bank statement has to be dated no more than a month before you APPLY for the visa, not before you go. i had my letter from the bank dated 2-3 days before i went to the toronto office, but my visa doesn't start until aug 17th. so as long as its within a month of when you apply, it will be fine.

good luck!

[heymikey]

yes you need to print and fill out both the vaf-9 and appendix 7 forms. You also need to complete the on line application form and print it out, you'll have payment details at the end of that.

Do you really need both the online application and VAF9 form? They both look identical to me.

This is the only letter i got that mentioned my account balance, and made sure they stamped the letter with the official bank stamp as well as printed it on official letterhead.

I do my banking online so is it possible to print my bank statement and submit that instead? Most of my money is with ING Direct that provides bank statements online. What do I need to do to ask them to print a letter with an official bank stamp?

Lucky for you, you're in Toronto, the same one i went too. Its in the Eaton Centre, very easy to get too.

Lucky you indeed. I live in Calgary and I have to go to Edmonton to get mine done, which I don't understand since Calgary is a more important city than Edmonton. That would be like, instead of having it in Toronto, it would be in Windsor which doesn't make sense!

If your aiming for mid august then i suggest not applying until mid July.

I think you can post-date your application up to 3 months in advance. I think the other poster is right when she said that your bank statements shouldn't be more than a month old during your application date, not your entry date.

[JennaRose]

ok so i just spent about 30 minutes writing a very detailed response to you....and apparently im not allowed to post it because i cant post links?! ...therefore post is completly gone. And can't be assed to write that all again lol so for some quick responses...

yes you need the VAF 9 and appendix 7 forms. as stated on the uk visa's website ''If you decide to make an application, you should complete application form VAF9 with your personal details. Depending on which country you are making your application from, you may be able to complete this on-line. You will also need to complete Appendix 7 using the points scoring information obtained from the Self-Assessment Points Calculator. This is only available as a PDF document and must be completed manually and sent in with your supporting documents.''

i sent mine and and when i received my visa back, those documents weren't returned so they must have been needed. Better to be safe then sorry and just include everything!

For your banking: The evidence to support personal savings of £1600 must be original on the official letter-headed paper or stationery of the organisation. It must have been issued by an authorised official of that organisation. Evidence must be in the form of cash funds.

So if there is an ING branch near you, then i suggest giving them a visit and asking for a personal letter, stamped and signed by a bank official. If there isnt a branch close by, try calling them and asking for this document and stress that everything above be included since its mandatory for submission. There's no reason for them to refuse this request since every financial institution has to comply to this request for one official reason or another.

and yes you were right about the one month before applying. I mixed it up. Although if you post date your visa, make sure to make it known during your interview application process as they'll need to take the proper actions then and there before they send it off to ottawa to finalise the application.

it was honestly a very simple and east process for me to get done once i had all my documents in place. Just double check everything and you should be fine

[insunandshadow]

Wow, JennaRose and heathermac, thank you so much for your responses. JennaRose, your detailed answers have been very helpful. I guess since it doesn't take very long, I will wait until mid-July to apply. But, just to be clear about the bank statement, since they don't want a letter more than a month before the application, if I was going to apply, for example, on July 20th and my bank letter/statement was dated July 15th, that would be okay, right?
Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience and advice. I really appreciate it. Have you found it difficult to get a job in the UK since you've been there? I keep hearing that because the economy's bad, UK jobs are hard to come by, just wondering what your experience has been.