EU Youth Mobility Scheme

Several constituents have contacted me about the EU Youth Mobility Scheme and the difficulties they have been facing since it ended. One constituent shared with me the difficulties he is having finding employment in the UK, despite his qualifications, while his European colleagues have all landed jobs across Europe with relative ease.

The Liberal Democrats call on the UK Government to open negotiations with the EU and EEA to extend the Youth Mobility Scheme on a reciprocal basis to EU countries, with a view to:

Increasing the age limit from 30 to 35.
Abolishing the fees for these visas.
Extending the length of visas from two to three years.

We also want to expand opportunities for young people to study, teach and volunteer abroad by returning to the Erasmus Plus programme as an associated country.

We will take action on excessive roaming charges by:

Opening discussions with the EU on roaming charges, as set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Opening a consultation on UK phone company roaming charges, including exploring the possibility of abolishing such charges altogether.

We are pushing the government to take steps to negotiate passport- and visa-free school trips between UK and EU member states, on a reciprocal basis.

I also recently attended a roundtable by the Citizen's Rights Project on the impact of Brexit on EU Migrants' rights, welfare and inclusion in Scotland. Years have now passed since Brexit and yet still I see people having difficulties with their qualifications being recognised or their pensions being paid. My team are always available to help, but if you are impacted you can also receive advice from the team at the Citizens' Rights Project.

You can find out more here: https://citizensrightsproject.org/2025/04/01/mps-westminster/