Tamsin from the Children and Young People’s Panel on Europe talks about opportunities to work, study and travel in the EU post-Brexit.

At the moment in Europe we have what is called ‘Free Movement’. This means that we can move around freely throughout other EU countries without having a visa – something saying you have permission to be there. The main question at the moment is: ‘will we need a visa after Brexit?’.

We (the Children and Young People’s Panel on Europe) think that information should be made available to all children and young people, so they know what’s ahead of them. Every child and young person has the right to find out and share information about how they and their family will be affected (UNCRC, Article 13).

It is paramount for children and young people to access information because they deserve to know how their lives are going to be affected for years and years. Children and young people might want to go and study or work abroad when they are older but that might not be possible anymore if they have to purchase a visa – requests for a visa aren’t always approved and can be expensive.

Personally, I think that having ‘Free Movement’ is extremely important because if, when I’m a few years older, I decide that I want to go and study at a university in another EU country, the price will be increased, there will be more hurdles to jump, and I might not even get permission to go. Or I might decide that I want to go and live abroad for a year, but I might not be able to do that. I think that overall, I just want to have the same opportunities to do things in the future that previous generations have had up to now.

If you’re aged 8-22, we want you to fill out our survey which is available here. If you’re under 13, you’ll need an adult to help you.

We want to know what you think of travelling, studying, and working abroad after Brexit. What’s important to you? Let us know – and we will then let decision makers know what children and young people want our country to look like after Brexit.