The 11th Young Leaders Union (YLU) summit concluded at Novotel Paris Est on 4 November, capping four days of debates and workshops for 300 emerging professionals from 65 countries. Organiser EduTourism for Unity said it processed 270 invitation and visa-support letters, a 20 percent increase on 2024, reflecting pent-up demand for in-person networking opportunities in France.
Participants entered on short-stay Schengen visas or, for delegates from visa-exempt jurisdictions, with border invitation letters that satisfy French immigration officers’ requirement to show purpose of stay and accommodation. The YLU secretariat partnered with France-Visas to pre-load attendee data, shaving two days off the average appointment-to-stamping timeline.
![Young Leaders Union 2025 wraps up in Paris after issuing record visa-support letters]()
Beyond the conference hall, delegates took part in corporate site visits to Station F and La Défense, where several signed internship offers under France’s *stagiaire ICT* category, allowing stays up to six months. HR teams of multinationals such as Orange and L’Oréal used the event to scout talent for early-career rotational programmes and have been supplied with template *Passeport Talent-Jeune diplômé* checklists to expedite hires.
The summit’s success reinforces Paris’s appeal as a youth-mobility magnet ahead of UNESCO’s 2026 World Youth Forum. Event organisers praised the city’s public-transport upgrades, noting that the T3 tram extension and €4 flat-fare metro tickets for badge-holders cut commuting times. However, some African delegates reported difficulties opening French bank accounts to receive scholarship stipends, an issue the organisers pledged to address through a banking-partner MoU next year.
YLU 2026 is slated for Montreal, but EduTourism for Unity confirmed that it will maintain a Paris liaison office to handle follow-up mobility counselling for alumni taking up European internships and exchange programmes.
Participants entered on short-stay Schengen visas or, for delegates from visa-exempt jurisdictions, with border invitation letters that satisfy French immigration officers’ requirement to show purpose of stay and accommodation. The YLU secretariat partnered with France-Visas to pre-load attendee data, shaving two days off the average appointment-to-stamping timeline.
Beyond the conference hall, delegates took part in corporate site visits to Station F and La Défense, where several signed internship offers under France’s *stagiaire ICT* category, allowing stays up to six months. HR teams of multinationals such as Orange and L’Oréal used the event to scout talent for early-career rotational programmes and have been supplied with template *Passeport Talent-Jeune diplômé* checklists to expedite hires.
The summit’s success reinforces Paris’s appeal as a youth-mobility magnet ahead of UNESCO’s 2026 World Youth Forum. Event organisers praised the city’s public-transport upgrades, noting that the T3 tram extension and €4 flat-fare metro tickets for badge-holders cut commuting times. However, some African delegates reported difficulties opening French bank accounts to receive scholarship stipends, an issue the organisers pledged to address through a banking-partner MoU next year.
YLU 2026 is slated for Montreal, but EduTourism for Unity confirmed that it will maintain a Paris liaison office to handle follow-up mobility counselling for alumni taking up European internships and exchange programmes.
