Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries
(asked on 22nd October 2024) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a new European Youth Mobility scheme.
Answered by
Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The UK currently operates 13 bilateral Youth Mobility Scheme arrangements, which allow young people aged 18-30 (18-35 for some nationals), to live, work and study in the UK for up to two years, with some nationals eligible to apply for a third year. Each country is subject to an annual quota, based on a yearly review of outbound UK participants of the scheme.
The European Commission has not approached the UK to consider a new European Youth Mobility Scheme. We will look at proposals on a range of issues, but we will not return to free movement and our focus is on reducing net migration after it rose to record highs.