The China Post
Date: December 2, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese youth planning to visit the United Kingdom under the Youth Mobility
A view of the streets of London are seen in this photograph taken in July 2014. (Joseph Yeh, the China Post )
Scheme (YMS) will no longer need to provide a certificate of sponsorship starting next year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has announced.
MOFA said the British government announced on Nov. 30 that, starting in January 2017, Taiwan would be granted “Deemed Sponsorship Status” in the YMS.
This means YMS applicants from Taiwan will no longer need to first obtain a certificate of sponsorship from the local Youth Development Administration under the Ministry of Education (YDA, 青年發展署) before applying for a visa, MOFA said in a statement.
Applicants were previously required to first obtain a certificate from the YDA and to apply for a YMS visa at the British Office within three months of receiving the certificate.
MOFA welcomes the announcement, saying the decision will make it easier for Taiwanese youth to visit the U.K. It also shows the U.K. deeply values the program, it added.
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In a separate statement, the British Office, which represents British interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, also announced the major change. [FULL STORY]
