Brexit - information for EU/EEA and Swiss nationals

A Brexit deal has been agreed in principle with the EU. The UK is preparing to leave the EU by 31 January 2020, but could still leave with no deal if the withdrawal agreement is not approved by this date.

If you’re an EU/EEA or Swiss national living in the UK, you will need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if you want the opportunity to continue living here after 31 December 2020.

The deadline to apply is 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves without a deal (and you will need to be living in the UK before the date that the UK leaves the EU), or 30 June 2021 if the UK leaves with a deal.

You can apply for settled or pre-settled status:
Settled status is given to those who have been residing in the UK for 5 years.
Pre-settled status is given to those who have been in the UK for less than 5 years. Once you have been here for 5 years you will receive settled status.

Advice on the settlement scheme (UKCISA)

Yes, you can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme if you are an EU/EEA or Swiss national (or family member) living in the UK.
More details of who should apply (UKVI)

If the UK has left the EU with a deal and you are arriving in the UK in September 2020, you will be able to enter the UK with your passport or national ID card and then apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. If the UK has left the EU without a deal when you arrive, you will be eligible to apply for European temporary leave to remain (EuroTLR) or under the future immigration system to stay in the UK after 31 December 2020. Euro TLR will grant temporary immigration states to applicants for 36 months. More information on Euro TLR can be found here.

EU, EEA and Swiss nationals who already live in the UK, or who started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 or by the date the UK leaves the EU without a deal (whichever comes first), will be able to apply for settled status. This will enable them to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like. The deadline for applications will be 30 June 2021 in the event of the UK leaving the EU with a deal. In the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the deadline to apply for settled status will be 31 December 2020.

However, the immigration status of EU citizens arriving in the UK after 31 December 2020 will depend on the kind of relationship the UK negotiates with the EU and the migration system that is established after withdrawal.

Yes at the moment, you can travel into the UK using your passport or identity card.

If you have already applied for the EU Settlement Scheme you can travel into the UK using your passport or identity card. If you live in the UK now and are travelling back into the UK after 31 January, it might be worth having an attendance letter with you to show you were living in the UK before 31 January.  If you are coming into the UK for the first time once we have left the EU, you will need to apply for European temporary leave to remain.

You can apply here

You will need:

• your passport or national ID card (if you use your national ID card and it does not have a chip you will need to post it to the UKVI), or biometric residence card/permit for family members
• an android device or iPhone 8 or above to download the EU Exit ID Document Check app. (The app will be available on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus shortly following an upcoming iOS software update).
• proof of residence for example your Brookes attendance letter
• National Insurance Number if you have one.

Using the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app (UKVI)

Come to see us if you don't have access to an Android device or iPhone 8 or above, or if you need any other help with your application.

The current average decision times for the EU Settlement Scheme when no further evidence is required. (UKVI)

If you are temporarily resident outside of the UK, you are eligible to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme from abroad, for example, if you are enrolled at Oxford Brookes University as a student and doing a placement year abroad. When applying you will need evidence to show that you are resident here, such as an attendance letter.  Please contact the ISAT team if you need further advice.

More details about applying from outside the UK (UKVI)

No, you do not need to apply. However it might be worth applying just in case you change your mind and you later decide that you do want to live in the UK for longer, for example for work or further study.

If you are travelling back into the UK after the UK has left the EU and you have not applied for the EU Settlement Scheme, then it may be useful to have evidence with you that you were living in the UK before the UK left the EU. This evidence could be your Brookes Attendance Letter (see below).

If you are a current student log into Student Information, and under My Requests from the left hand side panel, click on Request a Document. It will ask you what document you would like to request. Choose Attendance Letter – printed version. You will need to collect the letter from Student Central the following day.

If you have finished your course, please ask Student Central for a Statement of Qualification which will provide all the information you require. 

UKCISA has confirmed that students can be temporarily absent on Brexit leaving day. To check whether your absence would qualify as temporary, please contact us and we will discuss your individual case.

EU Settlement Scheme applications can be made from outside the UK.

You can continue to use your EHIC or Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) to access free NHS healthcare if you have begun a course of education or training in England before the UK leaves the EU. This will apply until the end of your course, even if it finishes after 31 January.

If you start your education or training in England after the UK leaves the EU, your EHIC may not be valid. You should buy insurance to cover your healthcare as you would if visiting another non-EU country.

This would not affect the rights of individuals covered by the citizens’ rights agreements with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.” UKVI

More information about healthcare and Brexit (UKCISA)

For UK nationals looking to travel abroad, the NHS has published a Travelling in the EU guide that provides up to date information.

Right to rent checks (UKVI)

Until 1 January 2021 EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will continue to be able to prove their right to rent in the UK as they do now, for example by showing their passport or national identity card.

There will be no change to the way EU, EEA and Swiss citizens prove their right to rent until 1 January 2021. This remains the same if the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal. 

You can apply for an administrative review if either:

• your application was refused on eligibility grounds
• you were granted pre-settled status but think you qualify for settled status

You must make your application for administrative review within 28 days of the date on your decision email.

You’ll need to complete the administrative review application form.

It costs £80 per person to apply for an administrative review.

The fee will be refunded if:

• the original decision is withdrawn due to a caseworking error
• your application for a review is rejected because it’s invalid

The fee will not be refunded if your decision is changed solely because you’ve submitted new information or evidence. If you want to submit new information or evidence, you can reapply to the EU Settlement Scheme for free instead.

There will be no change to the tuition fee status of current EU students attending UK universities for the duration of their course.

EU nationals who enrol on a higher education course in England in the 2020/21 academic year will be eligible for undergraduate or postgraduate financial support for the duration of their course and will pay the same ‘home’ fee as UK students, the Department for Education has announced (28 May 2019). This guarantee also extends to Advanced Learner loans, FE and apprenticeships support, and will be in place whether a deal for leaving the EU is in place or not.

The fees that EU students starting courses at UK universities from 2021 are required to pay will depend on what is agreed as part of the UK's exit negotiations.

EU/EEA students applying for a Masters or PhD starting in 2020/21

Chris Skidmore MP announced on 4 July 2019 that EU postgraduates will remain eligible for UKRI studentships for courses starting in 2020/21.

The British Ambassador to Ireland has given these words of reassurance.

“The rights and privileges UK and Irish nationals enjoy in each other’s countries will continue, whatever the circumstances of the UK’s exit from the EU. British citizens in Ireland and Irish citizens in the UK will continue to be able to live and work in each other’s countries, and to access healthcare, education, social welfare and benefits including state pensions.”

This is because the UK and Ireland belong to the Common Travel Area that predates the current EU arrangements that will be ending.

No. However, you may need to apply for the right to remain in the UK, which will depend on when you started living in the UK and if the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal. 

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal, you may wish to familiarise yourself with the EU Settlement Scheme, which will give EU nationals immigration permission to reside in the UK after the transition period. More details including the deadline to apply can be found here.

In the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal,  EU, EEA and Swiss students arriving in the UK after 31 January 2020 will be eligible to apply for European temporary leave to remain (EuroTLR) or under the future immigration system to stay in the UK after 31 December 2020. Euro TLR will grant temporary immigration status to applicants for 36 months. More information on Euro TLR can be found here.

Students from UK universities currently participating in Erasmus+ for the 2019/20 academic year will not be affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

The UK’s participation in the Erasmus+ programme for 2020 is protected under the Withdrawal Agreement. This should allow staff and students to complete mobility periods, and receive funding, through the Erasmus+ programme until the end of the academic year 2020/21.

Up-to-date information on Erasmus and Brexit can be found on the Erasmus website.

Information from the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)

Erasmus+ website

Travelling in the EU guide (NHS)

Current non-Brexit regulations

Entering the UK

• Documents, family members and basic residency rights (UKCISA)

Residency Applications

• Staying in the UK as a student (UKCISA)
• Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (UKCISA)
• Permanent Residence (UKCISA)
• Prove your right to live in the UK as an EU citizen (UKVI)
• Presentation by law firm on options and applications
• Information sheets from the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association
• Immigration specialist solicitors for further advice

The International Student Advice Team are here for all Oxford Brookes international students who need advice.  

Students on or intending to join Erasmus+ programmes or Exchange programmes, can contact the Study Abroad team for advice.

If you need help with your EU Settlement Scheme application, you can get help with your application on the phone or online.

If you’re inside the UK
Telephone: 0300 123 7379
Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm

If you’re outside the UK
Telephone: +44 (0)203 080 0010
Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm
Use the EU Settlement Scheme contact form to get help online.