THE British High Commission has put the final nail in the coffin of the ever-popular Working Holidaymaker Visa, confirming that from November 27 this visa will fall away and be replaced by the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS), which South Africa will not be participating in.
The YMS falls under the UK’s new visa regime which comprises five tiers covering various skill levels, each with different qualifying criteria. It is modelled on the points-based system used by Australia.
Although the YMS offers similar opportunities to the Working Holidaymaker Visa, the British High Commission has confirmed that South Africa will definitely not be participating in the scheme at the outset.
“We made the South African government aware of the introduction of the new scheme some time ago but they have not, as yet, expressed an interest in participating,” said Apsara McNaught, spokesperson for the British High Commission.
*Read more about the impact of YMSÂ in the December 2008 edition of TIR.
That is a really big shame, as a lot of young South African’s used this visa as a gap year to travel and work around Europe