Can Irish national apply for SFE?

Hello,
I am an Irish national from the Republic of Ireland. I have lived continuously in Northern Ireland for 5 years and am now moving to England permanently with my child and husband. I plan to enroll in a pre-registration healthcare course.
I meet the 3 yr UK residency requirement and will be ordinarily resident in England. The course is eligible for Student Finance England (SFE) funding. Can I apply to SFE instead of Student Finance Northern Ireland, as I will no longer have ties to Northern Ireland? I would also benefit from SFE's maintenance loans for postgraduates, which SFNI does not offer.
Could an official SFE rep confirm if I am eligible to apply? Thank you!

Reply 1

Graeme SFE

Official Rep

Original post by Jenamana

Hi there,

Can you please tell us when you plan to move to England? Do you know when your course will begin?

Thanks, Graeme

Reply 2

Jenamana

Original post by Graeme SFE

Hi there,
Can you please tell us when you plan to move to England? Do you know when your course will begin?
Thanks, Graeme

I will move either end of December or first week of January. My course starts from the 13th of January 2025.

Reply 3

Drew SLC

Official Rep

Hi there,

You would still have to apply for Student Finance Northern Ireland as you will still be linked to them. We would usually say you need to have moved to another part of the UK not for the purpose of study and we would also say you would need to have lived there for at least 5 months before you would be eligible to apply for that award authority.

Thanks, Drew

Reply 4

Jenamana

Original post by Drew SLC

Hi there,
You would still have to apply for Student Finance Northern Ireland as you will still be linked to them. We would usually say you need to have moved to another part of the UK not for the purpose of study and we would also say you would need to have lived there for at least 5 months before you would be eligible to apply for that award authority.
Thanks, Drew

Hi when did this 5 months rule come into effect?
I thought it was just “Ordinarily resident in England on the 1st day of the1st academic year of their course”.
I’m not just moving to England for study, my family is moving with me, my husband is getting a job there & my child will attend nursery there I will have a tenancy agreement, it won’t just be my “term address” it will be my only address as I have no other place to go as “home”.

Reply 5

SFE Clare

Official Rep

Hi Jenamana,

It is different when you have previously applied for funding with a different domicile then move, as you are usually locked to that award authority. If you are going to move to that domicile close to the start of your course, you would certainly need to reside in England prior to the first day of the first academic year, which would be the 1st of January if your intake is in January. You would likely need to provide evidence to show that you are not moving to England for the purpose of study if you aren't already living there when you apply and don't have an English address. You would need to provide your tenancy agreement/mortgage statement with other evidence such as work contracts etc that would prove you have moved to England on a permanent basis and not related to starting your course.

Thanks, Clare

Reply 6

Jenamana

Original post by SFE Clare

Hi Jenamana,
It is different when you have previously applied for funding with a different domicile then move, as you are usually locked to that award authority. If you are going to move to that domicile close to the start of your course, you would certainly need to reside in England prior to the first day of the first academic year, which would be the 1st of January if your intake is in January. You would likely need to provide evidence to show that you are not moving to England for the purpose of study if you aren't already living there when you apply and don't have an English address. You would need to provide your tenancy agreement/mortgage statement with other evidence such as work contracts etc that would prove you have moved to England on a permanent basis and not related to starting your course.
Thanks, Clare

I have never gotten funding from SFNI I never had a loan before. I did submit an online application for this course with SFNI but I’m not progressing with it. I figured the SFE loan would be better if I can get it. And I am able to provide tenancy agreement letter for English address and my husband’s job searches/job offers from England too.