Dependent of a skilled worker visa - home v international eligibility

I have been struggling to find information about this and hoping UCAS advisors/students might know. This year we have a large number of students in Year 13 who are the dependents of skilled workers. These skilled workers (and dependents) will have been in the country for over three years at the time they start university - however they do not have ILR and are not European (or Turkish/Ukranian/Hong Kongers). Most of them have not been here for the five years required for ILR. Will these students be eligible for home fees? From what I understand it is typically up to the university themselves. Has anyone been in this situation? Cheers!

Reply 1

McGinger

Original post by Kai Li

Unfortunately these student are usually not eligible for Home fees as by being 18+ when they start Uni they are de-facto no longer 'dependants', and require their own visa. This usually comes as a shock to students who may have been in the UK for most of their school lives, however those are the rules.

The only exception I an aware of is that there is a long residence possibility - "You have been living legally in the UK for an extended period (usually more than half your life)." - but the interpretation of this is entirely up to each University. There is also the possibility of applying for ILR if they have been here longer than 10 years.

Unis will not usually give any advice about this before a student applies - because they could spend hours working on an enquiry and then the student may not apply to them. Instead, when Unis receive your students applications, if they have any doubt about what fee category applies, they will usually ask the applicant for more information, typically by completing in a fee-questionnaire form. Please be aware that this is a long and complicated process and there are rarely any quick reassuring answers.