Better Visas for Australians and New Zealanders following Trade Deals with UK
As part of the UK’s new Free Trade Agreements with Australia and New Zealand, Australians and New Zealanders will benefit from more favourable UK visa options.
The UK’s new Free Trade Agreements with Australia and New Zealand came into effect on 31 May 2023, removing all tariffs on UK goods exported to Australia and New Zealand. As part of these trade deals, Australians and New Zealanders will benefit from improved access to UK visa schemes.
We already commented on the proposed enhancements to be made to the Youth Mobility Scheme for New Zealanders, back when this was announced in 2022 – you can read more about this here.
To summarise, New Zealanders will, as from 29 June 2023, be able to stay in the UK for up to three years under the Youth Mobility Scheme, as opposed to the usual two years, and the scheme will now be available to those aged 18-35, rather than 18-30.
An extra 5,000 places have been added to the Youth Mobility Scheme for Australians, bringing the total up to 35,000 a year. As from 31 January 2024, U will benefit from the same length of stay and age range changes as New Zealanders – allowing them stay in the UK for up to three years and until the age of 35.
Australia and New Zealand are also being added to the list of countries from which workers can apply for the Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier visa; a visa which allows overseas service suppliers to come to the UK to provide certain services to UK based entities. However, as of writing there are only fourteen UK entities with a sponsor licence for the Service Supplier route, so the tangible benefits of this option being opened up to Australians and New Zealanders may be quite limited in practice.
If you would like advice on the Youth Mobility Scheme or on getting a Service Supplier visa for you or an overseas worker, please get in touch at [email protected]
