Home fee status after 6 months in France in last 3 years?

Can you provide evidence that the stay in France was temporary (work contracts/rent contracts/visa etc)?
Temporary stays outside the UK don’t change ordinary residence.

Hi we weren't working but have a 6-month contract for accommodation. We returned to the same address in the UK that we were living in before we left for France too. Is there a maximum time that qualifies for a temporary stay (such as 6 months)? Can it be longer? Many thanks!

There’s no maximum as long as it’s possible to prove that the stay was temporary.

I’m guessing that you kept UK bank accounts, somewhere to live etc etc during the time in France.

Hi my daughter is in the process of applying to SFE for a Sept 2023 start and we have just realised there is potentially an issue with the fact that we lived in France for 6 months in 2021, and she was therefore not continuously resident in the UK for 3 years. She was born in the UK and is a British citizen, can anyone please help? Thank you in advance.

Hi there, your daughter can submit an application and send evidence that her break from the UK was on a temporary basis with a cover letter explaining the situation for the team to review. Once this has been reviewed the team will be in contact with her if anything additional is required. Thanks, Karen

That's very helpful thank you! Can all this be done online? What kind of evidence would be required? Is accommodation booking ok? It's important to note that we would have returned to the UK earlier but travel from France was heavily restricted due to the lockdown and Covid measures.

All evidence can be uploaded online. You can find out how to do this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Teb-DaFfDRc

Examples of evidence that can be sent is listed below (depending on the situation) :
A letter from HEP confirming gap year
A letter from the employer on headed paper confirming temporary employment including dates
A contract from the employer that clearly shows the employment is of a temporary nature
A letter from HM armed services if applicable
Temporary visas or work permits
Where evidence has been requested to show that the student maintained a connection to the UK documents such as bank statements and utility bills can be reviewed

This list isn't exhaustive and any evidence that shows the reason for the break in residency will be reviewed by the team. This is why a detailed cover letter explaining the situation is advised to be sent with the evidence to give the team a better understanding of what the situation was. Thanks, Karen

I'm quite confused now as have gone back to my daughter's SFE application and it says:
In the 3 years before you started your course, did you live outside the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man at any time?
To get student finance, you generally need to have been living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for at least 3 years before starting your course.

If you have been living in the UK, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man only to get full-time education, you will not usually be treated as resident in those places.

Do not include:

holidays
when you or a family member served in the armed forces
if you were a UK national using your 'right to reside' in the EEA, EU or Switzerland

It's the last case in bold that applies to my daughter, as we went to France before 31st December 2020 and she also has an Italian passport as her father is Italian, so she answered 'NO' to the question, but in the section relating to parents' status, the wording is different and this option is not given, it's the following:
Since 1 September 2020 has either your:
parents, step-parents or guardians
husband, wife or civil partner
lived or worked outside the UK and Islands or, in the case of an EU, EEA or Swiss national outside the EEA or Switzerland?

So according to the wording of these questions, my daughter answers NO but I answer YES? Is that right?

Please help! Thank you in advance

HI there,

Yes, this would be correct. If the team then need evidence they will contact you.

Thanks, Claire