Young South Africans are still eligible to apply for working holiday visas to the UK, the British High Commission said on Friday.

Spokesperson Apsara McNaught said the working holidaymaker scheme would continue until the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) was introduced towards the end of this year.

McNaught said the YMS was part of the UK's review on permitting overseas nationals the opportunity to work and study in the UK.

"Over 80 different routes for entering the UK are gradually being replaced with the points based system which has five tiers.

"Tier 1 has just been rolled out in South Africa and is a replacement for the old, highly-skilled migrant programme. The remaining tiers covering work permits, youth mobility and students will be introduced over the course of the next year," McNaught said.

The British government was still awaiting a response from South Africa on whether it would join the scheme, she said.

Sapa