Our son was born in Bristol, we were called to work in Albania, where he’s lived until 17, with regular visits to the UK, and working a summer there. He has applied and been accepted into several Unis but as a foreign student at much higher prices. Has anyone else had this problem? How can he not be qualified as a British student, being born in Britain and having a British passport? We will struggle to pay normal uni prices, but non-resident prices are over £25,000/year. Can anyone help us?
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If you are considered to be Ordinary Residents, than he won't need to pay non-resident fees.
Note that in the UK it's no longer a question of citizenship, it's a question of residency status. Having British citizenship gives you the right of abode in the UK (i.e. you have the right to return to the country at any time and other rights as well), but it does not necessarily give you the right to services. The latter is determined by residency status.
Global Connections site has a link to a tool which will help you to determine if you have Ordinary residency or not. But you can find it with google probably. NHS uses it to determine if people have the right to secondary treatment.
Things that help to determine if you are OR:
If you have a house in the UK that's the best case.
You pay NI
You intend to return to the UK when your contract overseas is finished
Regular visits to the UK to visit family and to renew contract with mission agency.
If you are in Albania independently, than you have less chances of being OR.
Your son's NHS number is important as well. And if you still have a registration with a GP that's good.
There other things to consider, these are just some examples.
You will have to do the leg work to find the law about OR to show it to the Uni. They won't do it for you.
Thanks David
Appreciate prayer... my son has tried many times going to the admissions office but he hasn’t found anyone to be helpful. I am still not sure which MP would be helpful for us to contact, we know an MP but of another area, we don’t know the MP from Exeter, I am not really sure how or what to ask them if we contact them, do you? Mandy has not responded as yet....
Thanks for your help... Caralee
Good evening, Caralee, Thanks for the feedback. I have a contact in Exeter in the field of education. Will email him to see if he has any thoughts or contacts. Will keep thinking around the subject for other ideas. I left the UK in 1974 for PNG, so have not so many contacts as I had then. Will continue to pray for sure... Warm regards, David
Good morning, Caralee, Thanks for sharing your challenges with the OSCAR folks. Will certainly be uplifting you all as you search for a resolution. Good to see the replies so far. Have been in the education world since 1959 with overseas service too. Do keep us posted on developments. Believe some good thoughts have been shared. Meeting with the right person in the University world at the right time is probably key. There is so much documentation in these years that it is difficult for any one person to know everything. Will let you know if I have any connections for you. Warm regards, David david@shortonideas.org www.shortonideas.org
We had the exact same problem years ago and enlisted the help of our MP at the time. He was a big help.
Others will have advice too for you, this has been happening to MKs here in UK for years. It seems daft, but it happens. It's a residency thing that they cite. Visits they made back home don't count.
In fact we often find on official forms for ourselves and our kids that the 'boxes' we need to tick are not on the page!! And the ones that are there do not apply !!
Thanks for your response... can you tell me exactly what your MP did for you that helped you solve this issue?
Thanks so much for asking around too!
Your information is helpful in that it gives some hope. Ill forward to my son.
Mandy Caley > Mandy CaleyApril 19, 2018 at 12:02pm
I just wrote to my friends who have served in PNG for years- the reply
Our middle daughter was initially classed as an international student for Sheffield Hallam but then there was some clause somewhere or some form we filled in to say that she would have been 'ordinarily resident' had it not been for the decision or occupation of her parents. [Of course that is 12 years ago.]
They need to dig around a bit on that. Also -are they part of an organisation that is based in the UK and they are not bound by any contract to stay overseas for any specific length of time ?That was another factor that came in to play at some point for us -so our church wrote us a letter to say we were sent out by them and free to return to UK at any point. Cannot remember what that was to do with though.
Of course groups like Global Connections will have any up to date stuff.
Only other option is to maybe work until he has been in the UK for three years. Our son-in-law [ from USA!!] did that and was accepted into Sheffield uni as a mature student to do the MA in Engineering 4 year combined course and they only required of him 2 A levels not the three they required of 18 year olds!!!
[Our youngest daughter did do some kind of national diploma at local college in health and social care which got her in uni as she did not have any A levels.]
Replies
Mandy,
If you are considered to be Ordinary Residents, than he won't need to pay non-resident fees.
Note that in the UK it's no longer a question of citizenship, it's a question of residency status. Having British citizenship gives you the right of abode in the UK (i.e. you have the right to return to the country at any time and other rights as well), but it does not necessarily give you the right to services. The latter is determined by residency status.
Global Connections site has a link to a tool which will help you to determine if you have Ordinary residency or not. But you can find it with google probably. NHS uses it to determine if people have the right to secondary treatment.
Things that help to determine if you are OR:
If you have a house in the UK that's the best case.
You pay NI
You intend to return to the UK when your contract overseas is finished
Regular visits to the UK to visit family and to renew contract with mission agency.
If you are in Albania independently, than you have less chances of being OR.
Your son's NHS number is important as well. And if you still have a registration with a GP that's good.
There other things to consider, these are just some examples.
You will have to do the leg work to find the law about OR to show it to the Uni. They won't do it for you.
If I find more info I will let you know.
Simone
Appreciate prayer... my son has tried many times going to the admissions office but he hasn’t found anyone to be helpful. I am still not sure which MP would be helpful for us to contact, we know an MP but of another area, we don’t know the MP from Exeter, I am not really sure how or what to ask them if we contact them, do you? Mandy has not responded as yet....
Thanks for your help... Caralee
Good evening, Caralee, Thanks for the feedback. I have a contact in Exeter in the field of education. Will email him to see if he has any thoughts or contacts. Will keep thinking around the subject for other ideas. I left the UK in 1974 for PNG, so have not so many contacts as I had then. Will continue to pray for sure... Warm regards, David
Good morning, Caralee, Thanks for sharing your challenges with the OSCAR folks. Will certainly be uplifting you all as you search for a resolution. Good to see the replies so far. Have been in the education world since 1959 with overseas service too. Do keep us posted on developments. Believe some good thoughts have been shared. Meeting with the right person in the University world at the right time is probably key. There is so much documentation in these years that it is difficult for any one person to know everything. Will let you know if I have any connections for you. Warm regards, David david@shortonideas.org www.shortonideas.org
We had the exact same problem years ago and enlisted the help of our MP at the time. He was a big help.
Others will have advice too for you, this has been happening to MKs here in UK for years. It seems daft, but it happens. It's a residency thing that they cite. Visits they made back home don't count.
In fact we often find on official forms for ourselves and our kids that the 'boxes' we need to tick are not on the page!! And the ones that are there do not apply !!
Hope and pray it gets sorted.
Thanks so much for asking around too!
Your information is helpful in that it gives some hope. Ill forward to my son.
I just wrote to my friends who have served in PNG for years- the reply
Our middle daughter was initially classed as an international student for Sheffield Hallam but then there was some clause somewhere or some form we filled in to say that she would have been 'ordinarily resident' had it not been for the decision or occupation of her parents. [Of course that is 12 years ago.]
They need to dig around a bit on that. Also -are they part of an organisation that is based in the UK and they are not bound by any contract to stay overseas for any specific length of time ?That was another factor that came in to play at some point for us -so our church wrote us a letter to say we were sent out by them and free to return to UK at any point. Cannot remember what that was to do with though.
Of course groups like Global Connections will have any up to date stuff.
Only other option is to maybe work until he has been in the UK for three years. Our son-in-law [ from USA!!] did that and was accepted into Sheffield uni as a mature student to do the MA in Engineering 4 year combined course and they only required of him 2 A levels not the three they required of 18 year olds!!!
[Our youngest daughter did do some kind of national diploma at local college in health and social care which got her in uni as she did not have any A levels.]
Hope that helps