Akhila Jayaram is a political commentator and writer. She is a campaigner with Conservative Young Women.
Net migration is at an all-time high at 728,000 in the year ending June 2024. Although Labour recently released their Immigration White Paper which promises to bring down net migration, they seem to be negotiating a EU youth mobility scheme which could see potentially hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, eligible to enter the UK.
What’s more concerning is the lack of detail around what Labour is willing to concede to the EU on this scheme.
In an interview with Sky News, Nick Thomas-Symonds (lead negotiator with the EU), repeatedly refused to agree to a cap on the scheme.
He said that the scheme was going to be ‘smart and controlled’, but the lack of specific numbers creates a sense of alarm. With 142 million under-30s in the EU, a 10 per cent uptake of an uncapped scheme could mean over a million young people eligible to enter the UK. Recent reports say that Labour is considering a 100,000 visa cap, but Brussels is pushing for a higher limit.
Given how Starmer has conceded on other matters such as fishing rights, what is to say that he won’t toe the line on this?
That’s not to say that there should be no youth mobility scheme with the EU.
The UK has a long history of such reciprocal schemes with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India and even Uruguay. These schemes, which allow young people an opportunity to live and work in other countries with minimal restrictions, can improve education and career prospects for participants. At the same time, there is also an element of cultural exchange which can advance Britain’s soft power beyond its borders.
However, the EU is demanding special concessions, like longer stays up to 4 years and home tuition fees for EU nationals. These concessions would clearly not be in the national interest.
I propose a strict annual cap on youth mobility visas, similar to that which is allocated to Australia, the largest user of the UK’s youth mobility scheme. Even though 45,000 visas were allocated to Australia in 2024, only 21.6 per cent were used. The cap should be set in the tens of thousands during negotiations, with any upward revisions debated and voted in Parliament. This would provide further certainty to voters that we have control over who is entering the country.
Additionally, the UK should not concede to the EU’s demand for longer stays.
The current youth mobility visas are limited to two years and give participants ample opportunity to experience life in a new country. Any longer would likely lead them to form ties, and eventually lead to permanent settlement. While the UK should continue to welcome the best and brightest from around the world, the youth mobility scheme should not be used as a backdoor to permanently settle in the UK.
Data from the Migration Observatory suggested that among those entering on this visa in 2019, 15 per cent had moved to long-term work visas with a view to permanently settle by 2023, while another six per cent had transitioned to family visas. However, these numbers are reflective of the situation when a total of just over 80,000 youth mobility visas were issued. If the number of eligible applicants increased in the first place, this could have knock-on effects on participants transitioning to long-term visas, and thereby driving up net migration.
Finally, the government should use existing policy levers to treat applicants of the EU Youth Mobility scheme on par with applicants from other countries.
The NHS surcharge should remain in place, as it’s only fair that those from outside the UK contribute to the NHS. There should also be no reduction in tuition fees for those studying under the scheme. With universities reeling under pressure and needing around £12,500 per student to break even, reducing fees just to secure a deal with the EU is unjustified.
Additionally, Labour should consider a one-year cooling-off period which prevents participants from switching to other visa categories if they come to the UK under this scheme. This would ensure this visa route is used for work or educational experience, not as a pathway to permanent settlement.
In his rush to cozy up to Brussels, Starmer must not ignore the concerns of voters at home. It is utterly incongruous to endorse high levels of immigration through the EU Youth Mobility scheme while his government has just pledged to reduce net migration.
