UK and EU to “work toward” new youth mobility deal
The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed to work toward the creation of a youth mobility scheme that could eventually allow young Europeans to live, work, and study more freely across the continent.
Announced at the UK-EU summit at Lancaster House on 19th May, this initiative represents one of the most significant steps towards rapprochement since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in 2021. While it echoes the spirit of pre-Brexit mobility, this initiative has been rebranded as the “youth experience scheme”. It offers a narrower pathway for young people from both the UK and the EU to access cross-border opportunities, albeit on renegotiated terms.
While no binding agreement was reached at the summit, both sides issued a joint statement committing to take steps toward implementing the reciprocal, time- limited programme.
The UK has made clear that any future agreement must closely align with its existing Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS), which is in place with a dozen non-EU countries, including Australia, Canada, and India. Under this scheme, individuals aged 18 to 35 can live and work in the UK for up to two years without needing employer sponsorship, provided they pay a visa fee, healthcare surcharge, and demonstrate savings of at least £2,530.
The proposed youth experience scheme could mark a shift in the UK’s post-Brexit posture. Prior to Brexit, young people in the UK and the EU could move with ease, enjoying reciprocal rights to travel, live, and study without requiring visas or incurring penalties. However, since leaving the economic bloc UK nationals no longer have automatic access to extended stays in Europe, whilst EU citizens must navigate visa requirements and rising costs to enter the UK.
EU students enrolling at British universities currently face steep international feesand reduced access to tuition loans. These changes have contributed to a significant decline in EU student numbers, from approximately 140,000 in 2018 to just 90,000 in 2022, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. In 2021/22, the year in which the fee increase took effect, the College reported a 55% drop in EU-student enrolment.
Early efforts to restore youth mobility began as early as April 2024, when the EU tabled a proposal for a reciprocal scheme. But the offer was rejected by both the Conservative government and the Labour Party, who argued that any such deal risked creeping too close to the return of free movement. At the time, British officials warned that any like agreement would function as a “backdoor” to restoring freedom of movement.
In recent months, this resistance has noticeably eased. European Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds publicly confirmed that discussions were underway, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave his “strongest signal yet” that youth mobility could form part of a new strategic partnership between the UK and the European Union.
For now, the final contours of the scheme remain vague. No concrete parameters have been set regarding age eligibility, quotas, visa durations, or mutual benefits. Nor has the UK committed to reducing university fees or extending student finance to incoming EU nationals. What has been agreed, however, is a tone of cooperation.
