British Government’s post-Brexit plan to let young EU migrants fill unskilled job vacancies
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Boris Johnson is poised to allow thousands of young migrants into Britain who could fill low-skilled job vacancies as part of a post-Brexit trade deal.
The Youth Mobility Scheme, which currently allows under-30s from eight non-EU countries into the UK for a two-year period, is set to be extended to EU nations in any deal with Brussels.
It would enable businesses to hire young people to fill low- or unskilled jobs in hospitality, agriculture and other sectors, with ministers setting a cap on numbers depending on the needs of the UK economy.
The scheme could also be extended to other countries around the world, including the US, as part of individual post-Brexit trade deals.
But it is likely to draw criticism from Eurosceptics who have been promised a reduction in the number of low-skilled migrants coming to the UK.
A Whitehall source said: “Under-30s can come here for two years from countries that are part of the scheme, and we want to build on that arrangement.
“We will be looking to discuss it as part of our trade negotiations with the EU. Whether that is with all EU member states or through bilateral agreements with individual countries is still to be decided.
“We could also seek to extend it to other nations when we sign trade deals with them.”
