Information for EU and EEA students and the latest Brexit news

  • Last updated on 10 June 2019.

  • There is one thing that is certain about Brexit and that is that it can create a lot of uncertainty! The international student advisers are here to help you by providing you with the most up-to-date information we have from the most reliable sources. In our answers below we have linked to a number of UK Council for International Students (UKCISA) sites and they are a great source of information for all students from outside the UK.

    Brexit information can change very quickly and we will keep this webpage as up to date as possible. If you have any questions, do contact the International Student Advice Team.

    The UK and the EU have agreed to a further extension to the date the UK leaves the EU until the 31 October 2019. 

    EU student funding continued for 2020/21

    "EU students starting university in 2020/21 academic year will have guaranteed home fee status and financial support for the duration of courses in England [...] EU nationals who start a higher education course in England in the 2020/21 academic year will remain eligible for undergraduate and postgraduate financial support, Advanced Learner loans as well as FE and apprenticeships support, whether a deal for leaving the EU is in place or not."

    If you are arriving in the UK to start a course in September 2019 you will be able to enter the UK with your passport or national ID card. After you have arrived and when you have evidence of your UK address, you will then be able to apply for the EU settlement scheme to ensure that you will be able to remain in the UK for the duration of your course.

    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 needs to apply (UKVI)

    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 mobile device to download the UKVI app (iPhone app should be available later in the year)
    • 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 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)

    "You can apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme from outside the UK. You must use the EU Exit: ID Document Check app to verify that you’re entitled to apply from outside the UK. If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you must use your current valid passport or national identity card with a biometric chip."

    More details about applying from outside the UK (UKVI)

    If you paid for your EU Settlement Scheme application you should get an email confirmation of your refund by 20 April 2019, credited to the card you used to pay for it.
    More details and what to do if you do not get the email

    In a no deal exit, EU, EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members living in the UK before the date that the UK leaves the EU will be able to remain in the UK and work, study, and access benefits and services on broadly the same terms as now. EU, EEA andSwiss citizens will need to apply to stay in the UK if they are planning to continue living in the UK after 2020. In a no deal scenario, the EU Settlement Scheme would be open to those living in the UK before the date that the UKleaves the EU. The deadline for applying will be 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Irish citizens’ right to live in the UK will not change after the UK has left the EU. (UKVI)

    Arriving in the UK after the UK leaves the EU if there is no deal

    For those arriving in the UK after the date that the UK leaves the EU if there is not a deal, there will be a different system in place. You will be able to enter the UK for up to 3 months. If you wish to stay longer you will need to apply for European Temporary Leave to Remain. If this application is successful, you will get immigration permission to be in the UK for a period of three years.

    Guidance for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens coming to the UK to visit, study, work or join family if the UK leaves the EU with no deal.

    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 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, please come to Student Central and ask for an attendance letter. The team will do this for you straight away. If you have finished your course, please ask Student Central for a Statement of Qualification which will provide all the information you require.

    UKCISA have 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.

    From 9 April 2019, EU Settlement Scheme applications can be made from outside the UK.

    If the UK has not left the EU when you arrive in the UK you can then apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. You can apply as soon as you have evidence of your UK address.

    If the UK has left the EU with a deal by the time you arrive in the UK you can then apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. You can apply as soon as you have evidence of your UK address. You would need to apply before 30 June 2021.

    If the UK has left the EU without a deal by the time you arrive in the UK then within 3 months of arriving in the UK you would need to apply for European Temporary Leave to Remain which gives you permission to remain in the UK for 3 years. Further details of this have not yet been released.

    Under all the above scenarios, what you need to show when entering the UK will not change. Visiting the UK after Brexit (UKVI)

    "If you are an EU citizen and receiving education or training in the UK, and you have an EHIC, it will be valid until exit day. While the government is seeking agreements with EU countries, it may not be valid after this date. You should buy insurance to cover your healthcare as you would if visiting another non-EU country.

    Swiss and EFTA (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) nationals who start their studies in the UK before exit day, will continue to benefit from their EHIC cover for the duration of their course, even if it finishes after exit day.

    For those who come to the UK and commence their education or training after exit day, their EHIC may not be valid. However, we are seeking agreements with Switzerland and the EFTA states to continue reciprocal healthcare arrangements after exit day." UKVI

    More information about healthcare and Brexit (UKCISA)

    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.

    Please see the related Frequently Asked Questions on the Brookes page.

    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.