The Student Room Group

Dual Citizenship- international student fees?

Hi everyone,
I'm a Canadian hoping to apply to UK universities. Because my Dad is a UK citizen, I have a UK passport, and I'm planning on applying for dual Canadian/UK citizenship. I also have the option of switching my citizenship to UK only (although I'm keen to hang onto my Canadian healthcare benefits). If I have dual citizenship, even though I reside in Canada, will I avoid the astronomical international student tuition?:confused:
any help would be greatly appreciated:smile:
Reply 1
i think there maybe a resedential qualification (living in the UK for the past 3 years) in addition to citizenship but im not 100% on this
You have to have lived within the UK (or the EU) for 3 years prior to starting your course. It doesn't matter whether you hold a UK passport or nationality, it is where you have been living.

If you can prove that you were away from the UK due to your parents jobs for the 3 years previously (say, your parents are in the army or diplomats or something) then I think you can still get the UK fees. But if you've just lived in Canada all of your life and your dad happens to be British, then you're classed as an international student.
Reply 3
oxymoronic
You have to have lived within the UK (or the EU) for 3 years prior to starting your course. It doesn't matter whether you hold a UK passport or nationality, it is where you have been living.

If you can prove that you were away from the UK due to your parents jobs for the 3 years previously (say, your parents are in the army or diplomats or something) then I think you can still get the UK fees. But if you've just lived in Canada all of your life and your dad happens to be British, then you're classed as an international student.

Yeah, that's correct.
Reply 4
Hey,

I've got a similar problem and I'm glad I found this thread.
I'm a South Korean, and I have the South Korean citizenship as well as my both parents who were born and grew up in South Korea. They moved to Italy 22 years ago, and some years later I was born in Milan. I've been living in very northern Italy in South Tyrol for almost 16 years - I have never resided outside Italy.

I possess the Korean citizenship. Dual citizenship Italy + South Korea is possible, and I also have the possibility of requesting the Italian citizenship for many reasons (eg having lived in the country for many years, born here, ...).

As I've been living in the EU for so many years, will I avoid to pay the overseas tution fees?
It'd be just crazy to pay such amounts of money just because I have an other citizenship, and my family may not be able to afford it ... :frown:

I've looked at statistics which prove that Italian students are accepted less often by British universities because many Italian schools give too high grades for little achievements. I must say that this may be / is (as far as I can say basing on the experiences of many friends) true for many Italian schools, but our school is a German school and the grades are given very strictly. Therefore it may be difficult for me to apply as an Italian student and it's kind of unfair, as I'm actually one of the best students at our school and have even won some competitions (language competitions), which haven't been won by students of our school and surrounding for ages.
I'd rather keep my South Korean citizenship for some other reasons as well.
Can I be considered as a South Korean, having the South Korean nationality (citizenship, passport, both parents), but avoid to pay the overseas tuition fees?

Thanks and have a nice day,
Yu Ri :smile:
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by pocketfrog
Can I be considered as a South Korean, having the South Korean nationality (citizenship, passport, both parents), but avoid to pay the overseas tuition fees?


They don't consider your nationality at all since it's irrelevant to admissions. If you're worried about having low chances of admission because you go to school in Italy then that's something you just have to accept. Being Korean won't make any difference and why should it if you were born, raised, and educated in Italy? Citizenship aside, you're as much an Italian for them as any other national of that country. To avoid any prejudice just have your referee describe your school and grading system (it is suggested that this be a part of any international student's reference) and you're all sorted.

To be considered a home student for fee purposes you have to be an EU national or a family member of an EU national and have to have lived in the EU for at least 3 years before the start of your course. You definitely meet the second criterion, but I don't know what the legal definition of "national" is. Although I think it's safe to assume you're considered an EU national since you were born in Italy. So you should be eligible for the home fee rate. You can contact Student Finance to get a definitive answer.
Reply 6
Original post by Peregrinum
They don't consider your nationality at all since it's irrelevant to admissions. If you're worried about having low chances of admission because you go to school in Italy then that's something you just have to accept. Being Korean won't make any difference and why should it if you were born, raised, and educated in Italy? Citizenship aside, you're as much an Italian for them as any other national of that country. To avoid any prejudice just have your referee describe your school and grading system (it is suggested that this be a part of any international student's reference) and you're all sorted.

To be considered a home student for fee purposes you have to be an EU national or a family member of an EU national and have to have lived in the EU for at least 3 years before the start of your course. You definitely meet the second criterion, but I don't know what the legal definition of "national" is. Although I think it's safe to assume you're considered an EU national since you were born in Italy. So you should be eligible for the home fee rate. You can contact Student Finance to get a definitive answer.


Thanks for your reply.
Although I suppose I will be allowed to pay the EU fees, I am probably going to request the dual citizenship Italy-South Korea, which is possible, fortunately. Maybe I should write directly to some admission offices, to ask some of these and further questions.
Thanks anyway to all, have a nice day!
Reply 7
Pay your fees and stop trying rob the british tax payer
Reply 8
Pay your fees and stop trying rob the british tax payer