Independant status

dmg24

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Independent status refers to your being at work or claiming benefits, rather than where you were living.Yours is an unusual situation and I'm not surprised you've confused the LEA!

Are you saying that you got no financial help in your first year because you didn't know it was available? What happened with your fees and how did you keep yourself? Why didn't you apply after you started when you met other students?

... and how could you not know about student loans? Did you not speak to any fellow students for the whole year?

twinklyspecialkag

Im classed as independent for my student finance. I lived at home with my parents but had worked full time for 3 full years. I paid rent to my parents during this time but they didnt ask for proof of this. I had to provide my last p60's as proof of earnings. hope this helps.

John38_2

Would 2 years worth of Income Support entitlement due to Estrangement be enough to prove Independent Student Status? Or does it have to be 3 years?

Also, is it easier to prove if you've been getting IS? And, what are the levels of grants/loans a student financially independent from their parents can get?

ChocolateMonkey

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Independent status refers to your being at work or claiming benefits, rather than where you were living.Yours is an unusual situation and I'm not surprised you've confused the LEA!

Are you saying that you got no financial help in your first year because you didn't know it was available? What happened with your fees and how did you keep yourself? Why didn't you apply after you started when you met other students?

I got no financial help in the first year because I didnt know it was availiable. I paid my student fees with the money I earnt through working before university along with the travelling costs. I had only heard I could get a loan which I didnt apply for due to getting into uni late and I had the money so didnt see the need to apply for the loan.
Anything else you need to know? :rolleyes:

@ twinklyspecialkag - Thanks very much, it does help.

Anyway, I think I have been helped and poked enough so many thanks for the input. I shall await the documents and apply, if I get it then huzah and if not then nothing is lost.

Titch89

John38 wrote: »

Would 2 years worth of Income Support entitlement due to Estrangement be enough to prove Independent Student Status? Or does it have to be 3 years?

It has to be 3 years.

Also, is it easier to prove if you've been getting IS?

After you've filled in your finance form, I believe they sent you a form which has to be stamped by the job centre (?) to say you're getting benefits.

And, what are the levels of grants/loans a student financially independent from their parents can get?

Depends on your income.

Oldernotwiser

ChocolateMonkey wrote: »

I got no financial help in the first year because I didnt know it was availiable. I paid my student fees with the money I earnt through working before university along with the travelling costs. I had only heard I could get a loan which I didnt apply for due to getting into uni late and I had the money so didnt see the need to apply for the loan.
Anything else you need to know? :rolleyes:

@ twinklyspecialkag - Thanks very much, it does help.

Anyway, I think I have been helped and poked enough so many thanks for the input. I shall await the documents and apply, if I get it then huzah and if not then nothing is lost.

If you'd explained yourself more clearly in the first place and given a fuller picture of your situation then people would've been able to answer you better without asking more questions:mad: You've cost yourself a lot of money unnecessarily because of your lack of forethought but as long as you carry on thinking you know it all I'm sure you'll be fine. I really wonder why you bothered to ask as you're ignoring everything everybody's said!

Crispy_Ambulance

John38 wrote: »

Would 2 years worth of Income Support entitlement due to Estrangement be enough to prove Independent Student Status? Or does it have to be 3 years?

Also, is it easier to prove if you've been getting IS? And, what are the levels of grants/loans a student financially independent from their parents can get?

Titch89 is incorrect.

You don't need 3 years if you are estranged. What you need is a compelling argument that you are estranged from your parents and can expect no support from them. You would usually only be able to claim IS as a young person if you are estranged so the fact of claiming should be proof in itself.

If you are classed as a independent student, you would be means-tested for the support available but if you are on IS, it is likely to be the maximum. Have you contacted your LEA?

John38_2

Crispy_Ambulance wrote: »

Titch89 is incorrect.

You don't need 3 years if you are estranged. What you need is a compelling argument that you are estranged from your parents and can expect no support from them. You would usually only be able to claim IS as a young person if you are estranged so the fact of claiming should be proof in itself.

If you are classed as a independent student, you would be means-tested for the support available but if you are on IS, it is likely to be the maximum. Have you contacted your LEA?

Not starting Uni for a few years yet.

At the moment I'm receiving Income Support on the grounds of Estrangement, but I'm studying at College.

I have no other income really than IS, EMA, and HB.

I was just wondering how much I'd get in grants and loans etc if I wanted to go to Uni, and whether I'd have to do another year at College to meet the 3 year criteria.

Obviously I can prove I get IS on the grounds of Estrangement, but would this then be totally sufficient? Are the criteria for estrangement identical etc?

As per earlier, what are the maximum grants and loans for people estranged with no income other than benefits?

Someone told me I could practically get a free degree. Another person told me the LEA set their own Estrangement criteria, so getting IS wouldn't help prove anything and I'd need Social Services/Police/YouthWorker/Connexions statements and prove it all over again. Which I'd struggle to do as I'm very independent with little involvement with any organisation....

Cheers.

Oldernotwiser

I didn't think that time as a full time student could be counted for independent status purposes. On the other hand I can see that being estranged from your parents might allow this to be the case, regardless of your age. Crispy, do you have a reference for this by any chance?

Crispy_Ambulance

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I didn't think that time as a full time student could be counted for independent status purposes. On the other hand I can see that being estranged from your parents might allow this to be the case, regardless of your age. Crispy, do you have a reference for this by any chance?

Being classed as independent on the grounds of being self supporting for 3 years should not be confused with being classed as independent on the grounds of estrangment.

From the current Notes for Guidance for LEAs (Assessing Financial Entitlement Section):

Estrangement is where a student "has communicated with neither of his parents for the period of one year before the beginning of the relevant year for which he is being financially assessed"

or

"he can demonstrate on other grounds that he is irreconcilably estranged from his parents"

There is no qualifying period for irreconcilable estrangement and each case should be considered individually. LEAs might ask for 3rd party evidence (police or social services) but they shouldn't insist on it. In some cases it won't be there - ie if the student is over 18 and no crime has been committed there would be no need to involve either the police or social services.

If John38 meets the critieria to get IS as a young person, that should be more than enough evidence for the LEA. I've successfully argued estrangement with less evidence than that. A students' union advice centre would be able to help.

As for how much he would get, that depends on the funding situation when he goes to uni. An independent student with no partner would be very likely to get the maximum support available - full grant, loan and probably university bursary as well. But if you contact your students' union advice centre nearer the time, they will be able to tell you more.