Will the UK and the EU ever agree on Youth Mobility Scheme proposals?
Earlier this year, the UK government rejected an invitation from the European Union (EU) to enter into negotiations for a post-Brexit youth mobility agreement.
The EU had proposed a bloc-wide Youth Mobility Scheme which would make it easier for young EU and UK citizens to live, work and study in the UK and the EU respectively.
In April 2024, the then Conservative government rebuffed the idea, stating that it would not enter into any post-Brexit mobility deal with Europe as free movement was ended with the UK’s departure from the EU.
However, the EU is reportedly now working on fresh proposals despite the initial rejection, in the hope that the new Labour government may look upon such a scheme more favourably.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already made clear his determination to reset the UK’s relationship with the EU but has not yet publicly committed to entering negotiations for a youth mobility agreement.
Earlier this month, Starmer travelled to Brussels for his first bilateral meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, where the subject of a new youth mobility scheme was high on the agenda. Given the change in government for the UK and a new version of the proposal set to be put forward by the EU, can the two parties finally reach an agreement?
The UK’s Youth Mobility Scheme
The UK already runs a Youth Mobility Scheme visa route under the points-based immigration system, giving young people from selected countries the opportunity to live and work in the UK for up to three years in total.
Currently, the Youth Mobility Scheme is open to eligible citizens from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Andorra, Iceland, Japan, Monaco, San Marino and Uruguay, as well as Indian nationals under the India Young Professionals scheme.
The UK has previously suggested that it is open to extending the existing Youth Mobility Scheme visa to individual EU member countries, rather than throughout the EU.
Home Office data shows that just 23,000 people came to the UK last year under the Youth Mobility Scheme, with the highest number of applicants coming from Australia and New Zealand. This represents only a small fraction of the overall net migration figure which the government is working to reduce.
What could a bloc-wide deal look like?
According to the proposals put forward in April, the EU envisages an agreement at a bloc-wide level, not a collection of parallel bilateral deals at the level of the Member States. The European Commission previously said the deal would be a limited arrangement, not a restoration of free movement.
The agreement would also include a number of conditions, such as restricting eligibility to young people aged 18 – 30, and limiting the period of stay to a ‘reasonable timeframe’ of up to 4 years. The previous proposal recommended that mobility would not be subject to a quota, and that mobility to the Union would only be exercised in the Member State that admitted the UK national, i.e. the admission by one Member State would not allow for “intra-Union” mobility to another Member State.
More controversially, it also suggested students on the scheme should be able pay the lower home fees of the university they attended, and that the UK’s Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) should be waived.
As well as being rejected by then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the EU’s proposals put forward in April were also dismissed by Labour, in opposition at the time. The redrafted offer could therefore include some changes to make the offer more attractive to Starmer, such as reducing the proposed length of visas and a fresh proposal on student fees.
However, Labour may be reluctant to enter into a bloc-wide agreement given their commitment to reducing overall migration to the UK and concerns over headlines suggesting the new government is ‘reversing Brexit’.
In response to these concerns, EU sources insist the scheme would not amount to free movement, given that the visas would apply for only a limited time.
How could a new youth mobility scheme benefit both parties?
Increasing youth mobility between the UK and the EU could present clear benefits for both parties.
The scheme would deliver economic benefits and offer businesses the opportunity to address labour shortages in key sectors such as hospitality, as young people would have the ability to work in most jobs during their stay. The limitations imposed on the visa would also ensure it is not the ‘backdoor to free movement’ feared by some.
Any formal agreement struck would also have wider benefits in repairing the post-Brexit relationship between the UK and the EU. European officials have privately warned that a repeat rejection could exacerbate political tensions and impact the UK’s ability to make major agreements with Brussels in the future.
Next steps
The EU is currently working on a new draft proposal which is expected to become a concrete offer before the end of the year.
It seems both the government and the British public is currently split over the issue, with many urging Starmer to accept the deal for its economic and cultural benefits, and others standing firmly against the scheme and viewing it as a ‘betrayal of Brexit’.
Any new proposal will therefore require careful consideration and may be some time before a decision is reached.
Smith Stone Walters will continue to monitor the situation and provide an update when more information is available. If you have questions about EU or UK immigration, we’d be delighted to help. To speak to an advisor, please contact us today.
