Non British Citizen and Uni Fees – Please Help

Bebsie
Bebsie Posts: 382 Forumite
in Student MoneySaving
We moved from South Africa in 2000, my husband is a British Citizen but my children are not. The problem is that my daughter will be going to uni in 2010, will we be paying more as she is not a British Citizen? Does anyone know? or does anyone know where I can get some advice? Also, If we apply for citizenship now will it make any difference? Thanks for reading :-)
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Comments

  • littlepinkstars44
    littlepinkstars44 Posts: 2,950 Forumite
    Bebsie wrote: »
    We moved from South Africa in 2000, my husband is a British Citizen but my children are not. The problem is that my daughter will be going to uni in 2010, will we be paying more as she is not a British Citizen? Does anyone know? or does anyone know where I can get some advice? Also, If we apply for citizenship now will it make any difference? Thanks for reading :-)
    I'm not too sure, i think in Scotland if you have lived here for more than 3 years your get it paid for you.
    My friend from work only moved here 2 years ago, and her dad has to pay her tutition fees for her.
    I don't know if that only applies in Scotland, or in the whole UK though
  • Bebsie
    Bebsie Posts: 382 Forumite
    Thanks for your reply, I wonder if there is a website or something I could find the info. I have no idea where to look, I'm new at this :confused: I just want to be proactive and see if there is "anything" I can do.....
  • littlepinkstars44
    littlepinkstars44 Posts: 2,950 Forumite
    maybe try the student loan company? Thats who pays so worth a try on their site
  • Magnolia
    Magnolia Posts: 1,269 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    There are a wealth of reasons as to why someone would need to pay. Does she have permanent leave to reside in UK? Is she your daughter or both of you are her parents?

    For a child of a UK resident who has lived outside the EU with another parent or family member) who has come from a none EU country for the express purpose of education then the funding would not be there and you would have to pay.

    Funding is a nightmare and fraught with traps!

    You need to be speaking with Student Finance Direct - http://www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=53,1259548&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL or your local Learning and Skills Council - http://www.lsc.gov.uk/

    Hope you find the answers to your questions.
    Mags - who loves shopping
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,277 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Do check with a university, but I don't think you need to worry.

    So long as her visa (or permission to live in the UK) does not end on a fixed date; she has been in the UK for three years or more; and the family came to live in the UK for a reason other than obtaining an education, then she is likely to be treated as a home student.
  • Bebsie
    Bebsie Posts: 382 Forumite
    Magnolia wrote: »
    There are a wealth of reasons as to why someone would need to pay. Does she have permanent leave to reside in UK? Is she your daughter or both of you are her parents?

    For a child of a UK resident who has lived outside the EU with another parent or family member) who has come from a none EU country for the express purpose of education then the funding would not be there and you would have to pay.

    Funding is a nightmare and fraught with traps!

    You need to be speaking with Student Finance Direct - http://www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=53,1259548&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL or your local Learning and Skills Council - http://www.lsc.gov.uk/

    Hope you find the answers to your questions.

    I do not mind paying, I have saved for that but I have heard that we will be charged different fees, I believe they are higher. Thanks for the website I will start investigating.

    My husband is her dad and he is a British Citizen (although 2nd generation i.e. he was born in south Africa but got his British passport because his parents were both from the UK). I have a German passport. Thanks for the answers and advice.
  • Kaori1
    Kaori1 Posts: 4 Newbie
    My first post so here goes....

    I work at a university in international student recruitment and this is one of the most common questions I get. It is abit of a minefield and the best website that explains this and other questions pertaining to non-UK resident issues in education is http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/ with http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/student/fees_student_support.php relating specifically to fees and funding.

    My sister was in a similar position - my parents moved overseas when she was 10 and when she came back to the UK for university, it was an automatic assumption that she would pay international fees. However, because she had moved overseas for the specific purpose of my parents' jobs - and they had a renewable contract as evidence; she ended up paying home fees.

    Unfortunately, the UK - unlike the US doesn't do it through citizenship but residency. Your daughter usually needs to be resident in the UK (whether British or not) 3 years prior to the start of the chosen course. Some universities implement this a great deal more strictly than others (eg. Portsmouth who would hear nothing about my sister being overseas as a temporary resident but Oxford Brookes did). It is therefore worth speaking to the university directly too. The forms they send out about funding are automatic and often don't allow for individual experience.

    There are ways around it but it is wise to allow good time as it can take a while.
  • Bebsie
    Bebsie Posts: 382 Forumite
    Thank you so much Kaori1 that was very helpful! The nly problem is I have no idea what uni my daughter is going to go it, as I said she is only in year 11 now. Would it be worth contact the uni's that she "may" go to and start the process? I am so worried, she is so driven and gets amazing marks A and A*'s I would hate her to loose out and have to take a gap year while we are trying to sort this out. It's like a minefield out there.
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  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,277 Forumite
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    Bebsie wrote: »
    Thank you so much Kaori1 that was very helpful! The nly problem is I have no idea what uni my daughter is going to go it, as I said she is only in year 11 now. Would it be worth contact the uni's that she "may" go to and start the process? I am so worried, she is so driven and gets amazing marks A and A*'s I would hate her to loose out and have to take a gap year while we are trying to sort this out. It's like a minefield out there.
    rating_0.gif

    Check with any university: the rules are the same across the whole of England and Wales, but some universities are more helpful and lenient in applying them than are others.

    You haven't mentioned her nationality: a German citizen would be treated very differently from a South African one.
  • Bebsie
    Bebsie Posts: 382 Forumite
    Voyager2002 wrote: »
    Check with any university: the rules are the same across the whole of England and Wales, but some universities are more helpful and lenient in applying them than are others.

    You haven't mentioned her nationality: a German citizen would be treated very differently from a South African one.

    Thanks, she is a German citizen as she was on my German passport, do you think this will make a difference?
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