Only 23,000 people came to the UK last year to work under the British Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS), a small proportion of the overall net migration figure. This could ease concerns within the Labour government, which is facing calls to allow young EU holiday workers entry.
In 2023, most YMS visa holders were from Australia (9,900) and New Zealand (5,300). The scheme allows young people from 12 countries to work in the UK for two to three years, but no such arrangement currently exists with the EU since Brexit.
According to data from the Home Office, the YMS attracted 15,259 young people in the first half of 2024, indicating an increase in popularity, but still constituting a small fraction of the net migration total of 685,000 in 2023.
EU countries are now developing new proposals for a region-wide mobility scheme with the UK, following the rejection of an earlier offer from Brussels in April. That proposal included a four-year exchange programme for individuals aged 18-30, along with the chance to study at each other’s universities and pay domestic tuition fees. Both Labour, when it was in opposition, and the then-Conservative government dismissed the offer.
Post-Brexit, EU students can no longer pay domestic tuition fees in the UK and are instead charged international rates ranging from £16,000 to £59,000 annually. University representatives have stated that returning to home fees for EU students is financially unfeasible.
Diplomats from key EU member states, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, are now working on revised proposals that would shorten the exchange period to three years. This adjustment would align the scheme with the UK-Australia agreement, which extended its duration from two years to three in 2023, without requiring additional work conditions. The age range for participants was also expanded from 18-30 to 18-35 years.
EU diplomats are optimistic that the new proposals will provide a basis for negotiations to be re-initiated by the European Commission. One diplomat noted that the scheme is expected to attract “tens of thousands” of participants and expressed confusion over why the UK government considers it a migration risk.
Currently, the UK’s Youth Mobility Scheme is available to 12 non-EU countries, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Andorra, Iceland, Monaco, San Marino, Uruguay, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, as well as citizens of British overseas territories.
In contrast, Australia’s “Working Holiday Visa” and “Work and Holiday Visa” programmes are much larger, drawing up to 167,000 participants annually from 22 EU countries and 20 other nations, including the UK, Turkey, China, Canada, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Meanwhile, Canada accepted 56,000 young people last year through its “International Experience Programme,” which has bilateral arrangements with EU nations such as France and Germany.
EU diplomats believe a deal could soon be reached, citing encouraging language from Labour ministers regarding the proposals.
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