Help with fee status?!

[veryconfusedsheep]

So my DD goes to boarding school outside the EU, while I and DH live in the UK. DD is deciding what unis to apply to and I realised that she's an international applicant?? She'd lived in the UK up until Feb 2017, then left for full time education, but the admissions websites say you have to be an ordinary resident in the U.K. for 3 years to qualify. Is is DD ordinarily resident here or at school?

DD contacted a university and they directed her to a website that wasn't very helpful, just about how to appeal fee decisions.

I'd really appreciate any knowledge on this, I'm very confused! Thank you!!

[LIZS]

I think she would qualify as ordinarily resident if she is only there for education.

[titchy]

Assuming she comes home during holidays then yes I'd agree she is ordinarily resident in the UK. More of a grey area if she remains overseas during holidays but I expect with a bit of hard work and a lot of to-ing and fro-ing you could get agreement on her residence.

[titchy]

Is she on the electoral role in the UK - get her on it if not!

[steppemum]

You are resident in the UK, and that, for students is usually the key. In reverse, if you lived outside the UK and she was here at school, she would NOT count as a UK resident.

Even if she is technically currently outside the UK, you can be counted as a UK resident if you are temporarily overseas for the purposes of job/education, you just need evidence that you plan to return.

I would fill in the form like this

permanent address = parent's address in Uk
residency status? = ordinarily domiciled in UK (slightly different from resident, it means the Uk is your base/home)
DO NOT apply as an international student.

You apply as a UK student and at some point they may ask you to prove that, in which case the fact her parents live here and she is temporarily overseas for education should be enough.

It is more common to see cases in reverse, where people who have been workign overseas return and their children can get UK status in certain contexts.

[steppemum]

for what it is worth, when you fill in the electoral register, it considers student to be resident at their parents house, while studying too.

[veryconfusedsheep]

titchy - yes, she's on the electoral register!

She comes home for 2 weeks in the winter and 1.5 months in the summer, but stays between other terms in a holiday program the school runs.

steppemum - thank you! It seemed that students staying here only for education didn't count as residents, makes sense for it to work the other way too!

What would conformation of her returning be? She only has a visa until this December, would that work?

[MaryThorne]

My nephew started university in the UK in September but had been living in Asia with his parents for the past decade and went to school there. His mum is now back in the UK but he only moved back here as he was applying. From what I gathered, it was at the discretion of the individual university whether he was offered a place as a home or an international student and was asked by some to provide evidence about his ties to the UK. He received several offer as a Home student.

I realise it's a different scenario but what I understand from it is that there is discretion and it is unlikely to be a clear cut answer even if the rules might indicate treatment as an overseas student initially it's not insurmountable.

[MaryThorne]

Also, whilst she is at boarding school overseas, her home address is and has remained your UK address- the school is not her home address.

[titchy]

From what I gathered, it was at the discretion of the individual university whether he was offered a place as a home or an international student

Just be aware that the Student Loans Company does their own checks and may not agree with the university - it's surprisingly common to find a home student who the SLC has refused a loan to....

[steppemum]

Mary's story about her nephew is a DIFFERENT SCENARIO.

I do actually deal with families in this context. Mary's is totally right, it is at the discretion of the university as to how they apply the rules in his case. BECAUSE his mother had not been resident in UK for previous years.

In this case the family has been resident in UK for 3 years. Her home address is her parents address. That is actually the only important thing. She is temporarily overseas, much like a gap year student travelling the world.

So, her home address is UK, she is on UK electoral register. Apply with that address. Her being on the electoral role, and only havign a visa until december shoudl be enough.

Word of warning, in these cases it is often wiser to say less rtaher than more.
Apply from her UK address.

[ShanghaiDiva]

Agree with previous posters, the university is more interested in where you live. If you have a house in the UK, are resident in the UK and your dd comes home in the holidays Ime she will be granted home status. It might be useful if your dd has a UK bank account - this was one of the questions we were asked. If there is any doubt over her fee status you will get extra forms to fill out but the questions generally refer to where the parents live and work, poperty in UK etc.

[Hillarious]

Agree that OP's daughter would correctly be given Home status. Mary's nephew I'd say was Overseas, and if he's been classed as Home someone's not been doing their homework, or we've been given dodgy data!