More than 60 Labour MPs have signed a letter calling on the government to support a youth mobility agreement with the EU.
The letter called for a visa scheme that would be time limited and capped. This would be in line with other youth mobility agreements that the UK has with a number of countries and territories, including Australia and South Korea.
Mobility would be for a defined period (such as three years), and the number of visas issued would be limited. The scheme would be aimed at young people in the UK and EU under 30 years old. This follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s promise to “reset” relations with the EU following his election in July 2024.
At the upcoming EU-UK summit to be held in London on May 19 2025, opportunities for young people to travel between the UK and the EU will be a key part of negotiations between politicians.
The European Commission have made no secret of their desire for such a scheme. They initially proposed a version of this in April 2024. Some EU countries, such as Germany, have spoken out in favour. Brexit has limited the ability of young people to spend time in the UK, with all the cultural, linguistic and other benefits potentially gained from this.
The UK government’s enthusiasm has, in contrast, been more muted. They have a number of concerns, including immigration. Returning to any sort of free movement with the EU has been roundly rejected by politicians.
Concerns over immigration
Consecutive UK governments have been concerned with reducing net immigration, and international student visas contribute to these figures. Consequently, reducing numbers of incoming international students has been seen as a way of controlling immigration – to the dismay of bodies representing the UK’s higher education sector.
But other countries, such as the US, exclude international students from immigration figures. Debates concerning removing international students from immigration numbers in the UK are ongoing. A poll commissioned by Universities UK found that only around a third of the British public viewed international students as migrants.
As it stands, however, there are no plans to change the way international students are counted. Any new youth mobility agreement would presumably affect migration figures, but the direction is as yet unknown. And existing youth mobility schemes have had a relatively small impact on immigration numbers.
Opportunities for young people
As discussed in my forthcoming book (co-authored with Rachel Brooks) on student mobility after Brexit, young people in Britain have been particularly affected by changes in UK-EU relations.
These have included their ability to study in Europe, as a consequence of the UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus+ Programme – the EU’s initiative to support learning, work, sport and training in another EU country. The Republic of Ireland has allocated funding to allow students at universities in Northern Ireland to remain part of Erasmus+.
At the moment, young Britons are treated no differently from any other potential immigrants to Europe, requiring a visa to study there for more than three months.
The new Turing scheme has replaced Erasmus+ to fund study abroad for UK students. But it is far from a like-for-like replacement, is not reciprocal, and students and university staff have reported problems with securing visas in time.
An agreement with the EU, enabling relatively stress-free travel for young people – albeit for a limited period of time – would be a significant benefit given the current situation.
Young people from the EU now face similar regulations and restrictions when coming to the UK. A visa and “health surcharge” are now required for any stay over six months. International tuition fees must also be paid by EU citizens on UK degree courses. In addition, postgraduate students are no longer able to bring dependents.
Consequently, fewer young people from Europe now choose the UK as a study destination. Recent figures show a significant drop in EU students coming to the UK – from 147,950 in 2019-20 to 75,490 in 2023-24. A resurgence in the number of EU students would probably be beneficial to UK universities, and the UK would, at the very least, appear more welcoming to young people from the EU.
The re-election of Donald Trump as president of the US has ushered in new geopolitical realities. Relations between the US, UK and EU are shifting and uncertain, making a UK-EU deal in areas such as trade, security and education more important. The mobility of young people, as both learners and workers, is an important component of any negotiations on such a deal.
Johanna L. Waters does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
