UK student living in EU-tuition fee loan

Hi,
I'm trying to help my cousin make an application to student finance UK for a tuition fee loan. He was born and lived in Spain before the course started. But he is a UK national. He's in the final year of his degree in UK. Never applied before. He is a home fee student with UK passport and student finance keep telling us really confusing things. One personon the phone said he had to apply online like a UK student becasue he's home fee. Another one said he has to fill in the really long EU23 paper form and send it off. Does anyone know? It's driving us crazy! When we try to do the paper form it says he should apply online but when you apply online, you haveto be living in the UK for 3 years before the start of the course. My cousin's always lived in Spain. Thanks!