BREXIT/EUSS for January 2021 start 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 but you have not started your course yet, you will be able to apply for the EUSS using your University Offer Letter and further evidence of continuous residency as outlined In Annex A of the Home Office Statement of Intent regarding the EU Settlement Scheme.

The laws states that EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who are/have been resident in the UK prior to 31st December 2020 will be eligible to apply for the European Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Citizens who have EUSS status will be able to live, work, study and access health care in the UK- exactly the same as they can now. The EUSS application is free, made online and lots of our students have already made this application.

If you have not yet applied for the EUSS then we would advise you to take action to do so. This opportunity to have the future freedom to work, live and study in the UK may not be available again in your lifetime. It also extends the same rights to your dependants and certain family members. You may not fully appreciate the benefits of the EUSS now but it could have impact on future decisions that you make. We would have a duty of care to raise this to you and allow you to make informed decisions regarding application under the Scheme. 

In order to be eligible for the EUSS you must come to the UK before 31st December 2020- even if you plan to return home during the Christmas/New Year vacation. 

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 Offer Letter, as part of the EUSS application. Please see our comprehensive information regarding the EUSS and making an application here.

I simply cannot travel to the UK before 31st December 2020- what should I do?

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 are studying a short course of less than 6 months, we believe that you should be able to apply for a Standard Visit visa. We do not yet have the finer details on that application process for that route (it is due to come into place 1st December 2020) but we as soon as we do, we will update our Standard Visit visa information. We do know that students on a Visit visa will certainly have to get their own private Health Care Insurance before coming to the UK and will also not be eligible to work.