20-05-2025
EU migrants told they WON'T be able to bring family members to Britain or claim benefits - and will have to pay to use the NHS - under Keir Starmer's youth visa scheme with Brussels
Young people in the EU looking to come to Britain on a proposed youth visa have been warned they won't be able to bring their family members or claim benefits.
As part of his Brexit 'reset' deal, Sir Keir Starmer has agreed to continue talks with Brussels on a so-called 'youth experience' scheme.
This could see thousands of 18 to 35-year-olds from the EU to come to Britain to live and work each year, while also allowing UK youngsters to head to Europe on similar terms.
EU member states had demanded a youth mobility scheme in exchange for the Prime Minister's desire for closer post-Brexit defence and trade ties with the bloc.
Following a UK-EU summit in London yesterday, it was announced that both sides would 'co-operate futher' on establishing such a scheme.
But Downing Street today insisted the Government had set a series of 'red lines' for those continuing discussions.
These include EU migrants not being able to bring dependents or claim benefits under the proposed scheme, while they must pay to use the NHS.
No10 also stressed there would be a cap on the number of youth visas that would be issued to EU nationals.
It has previously been reported that Germany, Poland and Romania are particularly concerned about EU migrants in Britain having to pay healthcare charges.
There was also said to be wider anger within the bloc at Britain's insistence on an annual cap - suggested at around 70,000 - for youth visas.
Setting out the Government's 'red lines', the PM's official spokesman told reporters this afternoon: 'We can rule out allowing any dependents or access to benefits.
'And people will still have to pay the immigration health surcharge. That is a feature of the youth mobility schemes we have with 13 countries.
'All of our schemes are capped, they require a visa application, they require a visa fee, they require an immigration health surcharge.
'And participants have no right to bring dependents or access benefits.'
Downing Street declined to say when a youth mobility scheme with the EU might be finalised.
'We'll now be working with the EU on the details and we'll provide an update on that in due course,' Sir Keir's spokesman added.
He also stressed that an EU scheme would 'mirror' the existing youth mobility schemes the UK has with other countries.
Britain currently has such schemes with Andorra, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, San Marino, Taiwan, and Uruguay.
Under the UK's youth mobility scheme with Australia, applicants must have £2,530 in savings, pay a £298 application fee, and stump up £776 per year to use the NHS.
Those aged 18 to 35 from Australia can apply for a youth mobility visa to live and work in the UK for up to two years, with the possibility for a one-year extension.
For this year, the number of youth visas is capped at 42,000 for Australians, 10,000 for Canadians, 9,500 for New Zealanders, and 6,000 for those from Japan.
But the actual number of visas granted is much less, with just over 24,000 youth mobility visas issued by the UK across all 13 schemes in 2024.
The PM's spokesman said: 'We were very clear yesterday that any youth experience scheme would mirror the schemes that we have with other countries.
'And all of our schemes, including any prospective scheme with the EU, would be capped, would not allow participants to bring dependents or access benefits, and would require the immigration health surcharge to apply.
'That absolutely will be the case for the prospective scheme. That's a clear set of conditions for all of our schemes.'
