[Fantomas87]

Hi there,

I'm a UK citizen who grew up outside of the UK (I only have UK citizenship) and only moved there to start my studies at university. From what I understood at the time, I was not eligible for a maintenance loan as I had not been living in the UK for at least three years. Now, I'm in my 3rd year living abroad as part of Erasmus and was wondering if the situation has changed and if there is any way I could apply for that loan.
Are there any loopholes or ways around this? I gather my case is rather unique, so I can't find much on the internet from people in a similar situation.

Thanks for any help

[Shani]

The 3 year residency needed to have been fulfilled before the start of your course I'm afraid.

It is always residency that matters, regardless of citizenship.

[Fantomas87]

(Original post by Shani)
The 3 year residency needed to have been fulfilled before the start of your course I'm afraid.

It is always residency that matters, regardless of citizenship.

Oh, balls

[caroline0805]

Hey, I'm a law student and I'm going through something similar, however im in my second year. My father was seconded out of the country for his business and because the job market centralized in asia, his career became in asia. The student finance people have been telling me to provide documents which i have, and they turn around and make some kind of excuse on why i shouldn't be able to get it. They cited the Immigration Act (when I am a british citizen), a case about a kenyan national applying for a grant (I am only applying for a loan). I am taking it one step further to legal action against them. I am eligible for all social advantages in the UK, might as well get pregnant and get money as well as a house off the government for the rest of my life. Either they would want me to become a qualified solicitor and pay taxes towards people who don't work or get pregnant when they can't afford to, or I can be one of those people in this economy where the nation is suffering from cuts off of budgets.

[Shani]

(Original post by caroline0805)
Hey, I'm a law student and I'm going through something similar, however im in my second year. My father was seconded out of the country for his business and because the job market centralized in asia, his career became in asia. The student finance people have been telling me to provide documents which i have, and they turn around and make some kind of excuse on why i shouldn't be able to get it. They cited the Immigration Act (when I am a british citizen), a case about a kenyan national applying for a grant (I am only applying for a loan). I am taking it one step further to legal action against them. I am eligible for all social advantages in the UK, might as well get pregnant and get money as well as a house off the government for the rest of my life. Either they would want me to become a qualified solicitor and pay taxes towards people who don't work or get pregnant when they can't afford to, or I can be one of those people in this economy where the nation is suffering from cuts off of budgets.

You won't get very far. The rules are quite simple - if you've been living outside the EEA then you don't have a leg to stand on.

[caroline0805]

However, they had told me I would be eligible if i proved my father was seconded out of the country through business, which I have, Ive bad a permanent address here in the UK and have documents to prove it. You are wrong stating that its a very simple rule, however if you look through relevant acts such as the immigration laws and education laws, it is very complex which is why student finance people face numerous problems.

[traveldancer]

Hi, this might seem redundant but are there any perks to being a UK citizen and applying to English universities if one is not a resident? Thanks

[AuroraB]

Heyy guyss okay so my story is something like this: My maternal grandfather has a british passport and he worked and lived in the UK. My mom spent some of her time in the UK, they even had a house there! but she married my father(who is not a british citizen) so she moved out of the UK, and since my dad does business theres no way we could have ever shifted to the UK. Iv gotten into imperial but i cant afford it! I was born in Birmingham! and I cant even get a loan. my government is saying get it from the british govt and the british govts saying get it from the country you've been resident it! HELP?

[Klix88]

The key qualifier is that as a British citizen, you still need to have been ordinarily resident in the UK for three years before the start of your course. There's very little leeway. I've seen Student Finance refuse funding to an army wife, whose husband had been posted overseas. They said that this meant she'd been ordinarily resident outside the UK and she couldn't apply for funding until she'd been back in the UK for three years before the start of a course. They're pretty stringent about applying the residency rule.

Have you asked Imperial whether they know of any undergraduate scholarships or bursaries for which you can apply? Be aware that many such schemes are reaching their application deadlines around this time of year, so you need to move fast. Some are also awarded on a first come, first served basis.