Overview

• Nick Thomas-Symonds indicates that EU citizens aged 18 to 30 will be able to stay in the UK for longer than 12 months under a reciprocal youth mobility arrangement.
• The proposed scheme will mirror existing UK deals with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea by offering up to two years’ residence subject to annual caps.
• Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is pressing for a firm 12-month limit to ensure any longer stays do not add to the UK’s immigration figures.
• Negotiators are still resolving key details such as annual visa quotas, eligibility for benefits and dependent visas, and how extended stays will be counted in official statistics.
• Both sides plan to finalise the scheme by next year as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s broader effort to reset post-Brexit relations with the EU.