BREXIT/EUSS for continuing students

The EU Settlement Scheme is an immigration route that allows eligible EU/EEA/Swiss citizen and their family members to live, work and study in the UK after BREXIT. If you are currently in the UK and you have not yet applied the EUSS then you should do so as soon as possible (especially if you are thinking of going home for the Christmas vacation). It will also allow you to continue to access the National Health Service and could allow access to home fee status and student funding in the future (your current course is already protected as relates to fees and funding).

The application is made online and it is quick and FREE and you will find further information about the scheme and the application proces on our EUSS page.

Please note that, as you are in the UK, you will be able to apply for the EUSS using a standard University Student Statement- this is available to download yourself from the Gradintelligence site. You can use this document in lieu of an EUSS statament as it will also confirm your current address in the UK for you.

If you have not already applied for the European Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

If you have not yet applied for the EUSS then we would recommend that you take steps to ensure that you do not miss this fantastic opportunity. The EU Settlement Scheme is an immigration route that allows eligible EU/EEA/Swiss citizen and their family members to live, work and study in the UK after BREXIT. It will also allow you to continue to access the National Health Service and could allow access to home fee status and student funding in the future (though your current course is already protected for fees and funding).

What action do I need to take?

1) Try and apply for the EUSS where you are now and as soon as possible. The process to do so is outlined on our EUSS pages. It is made online and is quick, easy and FREE- so you have nothing to lose by trying to do that. You will need to download a UKVI app to your phone and in order to do so will need a UK SIM card- so it may be necessary for you to try and get one online if you don't already have one. 

You will see in our step by step Guide to the EUSS (available vie the link above) that we have supplied you with a UK address that you can use if you do not currently have UK accommodation. If you do have an alternative UK address please use that.

You will need an EUSS Student Statement from the University which confirms your course (guidance on how to access this can be found via the link). 

If your EUSS is granted you need to make sure that you are not absent from the UK for more than 6 months after grant as this could invalidate your status

2) Come to the UK before 31st December 2020- even if you plan to return home during the Christmas/New Year vacation. 

If you have not applied for and been granted EUSS status before 31st December 2020, you should make every effort to come to the UK before that date. It is possible to return home again for Christmas and New Year but you should submit an EUSS application before you go home.

You might think that this sounds like a lot of effort and cost but you need to factor in that not having EUSS status will mean that post 1st January 2021 you may have to secure future immigration in order to live, work or study in the UK, that you will not be eligible for free access to the UK National Health Service and without EUSS you may have to pay increased student fees for future courses and no longer have access to student funding (though your current course is already protected for fees and funding).

You could include confirmation of your pre 31st December 2020 travel details, alongside your University EUSS Statement, as part of the EUSS application. Please see our comprehensive information regarding the EUSS and making an application here.

I can't make an EUSS application overseas/my overseas EUSS application has been refused or I cannot come to the UK before 31st December 2020

If you are in the situation above, then you are in a more tricky situation and have 3 options available to you.

1) Take a chance on applying for the EUSS once you return to the UK post 1st January 2020. Your University EUSS Student Statement will list the dates of your course (e.g 23rd September 2019- 16th June 2022). We do not know if the UKVI will accept this as evidence covering the whole date period (thus assuming that you were in the UK prior to 31st December 2020) or whether they will ask for evidence that you were in the UK before the 31st December 2020. You have until 30th June 2021 to apply for the scheme although you should make the application as soon as you can. You will need to make sure that you have private health care to cover you for the period between coming to the UK and (hopefully) being granted EUSS status. You may also not be able to work whilst the decision is being made as an employer may require you to evidence that you have EUSS status (or an alternative).

2) Regulate your immigration status or leave the UK prior to 30th June 2021. If you come into the UK post 1st january 2021 and you make an EUSS application as per option 1 above and it is refused, you will need to either regulate your immigration permission OR leave the UK before 30th June 2021. You will not be able to regulate your immigration from inside the UK and will need to do this from home (as per option 3 below).

Under this option, you will need to have arranged private Heath Care Insurance and you will not be eligible to work during your time in the UK.

3) Apply for alternative immigration permission before travelling to the UK. If you are studying a course that is longer than 6 months, you should apply for a Student Visa (formerly known as a Tier 4 visa). Please see our information around that here. This visa will give you permission to work and you will also pay the compulsory Immigration Health Surcharge- which gives you access to the UK National Health Service.

If you have already applied for the European Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

If you have already applied for the EUSS that is great. 

Students who have been awarded pre settled status under EUSS but who have/will have been outside the UK for more than 6 months since grant- should also consider re-entering the UK prior to 31st December 2020 (even if you then go home for Christmas and New Year) as the safest action to maintain their EUSS status. T

Thus far, there has been no formal acknowledgement that COVID is a valid reason for being outside the UK for more than 6 months on EUSS and we do not know how this will affect EUSS status. We can only advise you to be cautious and return to the UK prior to 31st December 2020 if at all possible. 

If you are not able to come to the UK before 31st December 2020, it is worth accessing your EUSS account prior to your travel to the UK to check that your status is still registered as valid on the Home Office system and you could travel with a screenshot of the confirmation just in case.