Further to last week’s government announcement in regards EU students and tuition fees from 2021/22 onwards, members should be aware that EU nationals who are living in the UK at the end of December 2020 will have until June 2021 to apply to for settled status in this country (EU Settlement Scheme). Those with settled or pre-settled status and who are following higher education courses in the UK will be subject to the same tuition fee and student support arrangements as UK students. This includes those currently on undergraduate programmes at UK higher-education institutions who might be applying for a postgraduate ITE programme.
On a related point, for EU students recruited to programmes for the 2020/21 academic year, it is advisable for them to be situated in the UK during the autumn term. We are aware some providers are thinking about offering distance learning programmes in the Autumn but if EU students were to follow these programme from their home countries, they may lose out on the opportunity to apply for settled status. If they are living in the country before December 2020, they will be able to apply to the EU Settlement scheme rather than be subject to the new visa requirements being introduced from 1 January 2021. (New Immigration System)