EU-UK youth scheme: what a three-year stay could mean for day counts

What happened

The EU and the UK are negotiating a "youth experience scheme", and have not yet agreed it. According to SchengenVisaInfo, people aged 18 to 30 from the EU and UK could live, work, learn or travel on the other side of the Channel for up to three years. Participants would be given a specific visa with a set time frame. The report is clear that it would not restore free movement.

Since free movement ended in 2021, young Europeans and British people have needed a standard visa to move across the Channel. The UK has youth mobility schemes with several non-EU countries, such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, but none with the EU. The two sides then agreed at their first summit in May 2025 to work towards one.

Where the talks stand

No deal exists. The report says the two sides disagree on how many young people could take part each year and on what EU students would pay in tuition fees at British universities. They hope to settle both before the EU-UK summit in Brussels on 20 November 2026.

The prime minister, Andy Burnham, has said the talks "go down to the wire", as reported by Yahoo News. According to EU Perspectives, citing the Financial Times, British officials have reportedly suggested capping participation at around 50,000 people a year, while EU diplomats consider a figure above 100,000 more acceptable. Brussels also wants EU students at UK universities to pay the same "home fees" as British students. The report also says the UK government has told Parliament that any scheme will be capped, and that the exact terms are subject to negotiation.

Separately, the report says the UK will rejoin the EU's Erasmus+ programme in 2027, contributing about £570 million for the 2027/28 academic year after negotiating a 30 per cent discount. Erasmus+ is legally separate from the youth experience scheme.

What it means if you count days

For now, the scheme is still being negotiated, so there are no agreed terms to count against. The article does not say how time spent under such a visa would be treated for Schengen short-stay limits, UK residence tests or US presence, so it would be a mistake to assume anything.

The report does say that a stay under the scheme could last up to three years. Wait for the published scheme terms and official guidance before planning around it.

Where Staymark fits

Staymark counts one trip log three ways: Schengen 90/180, the UK Statutory Residence Test and US substantial presence. If the youth scheme is agreed, a long stay on either side of the Channel would still be a set of dates, and you could enter them once and see the same record counted against each measure.

Staymark does not tell you what a particular visa permits, and it gives no tax or immigration guidance. It counts days. For what a visa allows, rely on the official sources once the scheme is published.