EU, EEA and Swiss students

Information for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

On

Overview

If you're a national of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you need permission to live and study in the UK. 

To register at the University, the University will need to check your visa status and confirm that you have the right to study on your particular course.

If you have already been granted settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme you do not need to apply for a visa to study.

If you're an Irish citizen, you're covered by the Common Travel Agreement, so you don’t need permission to stay in the UK and would not need a visa to study.

If you're a new EU, EEA or Swiss student and not eligible for pre-settled or settled status, you will need to apply for either a Student visa or a Visit visa to study in the UK. You can use a Visit visa if you'll be studying on a course for six months or less, for example if you're an exchange student studying for one semester or a PhD student returning for their viva.

Student visa

To apply for a Student visa is a sponsored visa route. To apply, you will first need to have a CAS (visa sponsorship letter) from our admissions service, after receiving an unconditional offer to study.

You would need to meet the requirements of the Student visa, including English language and funding. You can find detailed information about Student visa requirements and the application process on the following web pages:

Making a Visa application to study

As part of a Student visa application, you will need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge to get free NHS care in the UK as part of the student visa application. If you have a European Health Insurance Card and do not work or plan to work in the UK you may be able to apply for a reimbursement of IHS . 

A student visa would also permit you to work up to 20 hours a week during term time and full-time in vacations as long, as the role is not permanent. You can find more information on this on the following web pages:

Working in the UK

Visit visas and ETAs

If you're studying on a course of less than six months in duration, you could do so with a visitor visa. You can find detailed information about this route on the following web page:

EU/EEA/Swiss students are not required to apply for a visit visa before travel, but you will need to apply for electronic travel authorisation (ETA) prior to travelling. An ETA is permission to travel, at the border you will be granted entry to the UK as a visitor.

Visa nationals would need to apply for a visit visa before travel.

As a visitor in the UK, you would not be able to work. 

You would also not be entitled to free national health healthcare except for emergency treatment, so you should consider having private medical insurance during your stay or hold a relevant EHIC card. Refer to the GOV.UK web pages for more information.

Visit visas can't be extended, and you can't switch to another type of visa from within the UK.

Incoming study abroad exchange students can find further information on our  Global Opportunities web pages.

EU Settlement Scheme

EUSS was introduced following the UK’s decision to leave the EU on 31 December 2020 and was designed to protect the rights of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens living in the UK. It was agreed to as part of terms of the withdrawal agreement from the EU.

The Immigration Rules Appendix EU  outlines the rules for the scheme in the UK.

Applicants who were resident in the UK prior to 31 December 2020 would be granted either pre-settled status (for those resident less than five years) or settled status (if you had already lived in the UK for a continuous five-year period).

The deadline for applying for most people to apply to the EUSS scheme was 30 June 2021. 

You might still be able to apply if:

  • you started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 and have a good reason for making a late application (you must include evidence to prove this), or
  • your family member has pre-settled or settled status and you want to join them in the UK, or
  • you have a valid visa (other than indefinite leave to remain)

Refer to GOV.UK for details on how to apply. 

If you have a pending EUSS application, you should have the right to study whilst the application is pending and would be issued with a certificate of application, you would need to provide this to the University to register.

The University cannot provide detailed one-to-one advice on eligibility for the scheme. Refer to the further support information below for details of organisations which can provide support and useful resources.

Pre-settled status

Pre-settled status (PSS) is issued for a five-year period from the date of issue. 

Initially, the Home Office required pre-settled holders to then apply for settled status after they had acquired five years' continuous residence.

In December 2022, the High Court found that under the terms of the withdrawal agreement once residence is granted under the EUSS scheme, there should be no requirement for the status holder to make a further application, eg apply to move from pre-settled to settled status. 

The Home Office has made various changes to the EUSS scheme and regularly updates the relevant immigration rules and guidance. Here is a summary of recent changes;

Removal of visa expiry date on digital eVisas

  • The end date has been removed for pre-settled status on digital eVisas and right to work, study or rent checks.

Lapsing leave and pre-settled status

  • The rules changed on 21 May 2024. Prior to this, you could lose PSS status if you were absent for a continuous two-year period. After this date you can only lose PSS, if you are absent for a continuous five-year period.

Extensions of pre-settled status 

  • Your pre-settled status will not expire. The Home Office will apply automatic extensions for pre-settled holders. From September 2024, extensions are granted for five years. 
  • You should receive notification of the extension within the final month of your pre-settled status expiry date. If you do not receive notification, you should contact the Home office EU resolution centre
  • This means that even if you have not lived continuously in the UK for five years, your PSS will initially be extended. You can use this extension period to then qualify for settled status (SS). PSS can also be curtailed(cancelled), see below.

New absence and continuous residence rules

  • The Home Office has also changed how they calculate absences in relation to continuous residence and settled status, for people who already hold pre-settled status.
  • Before 16 July 2025, the continuous residence rules required a person to be resident in the UK for six months in any 12 month period, subject to some limited exceptions;
  • A single absence of up to 12 months for an ‘’important reason’’ (eg study, overseas posting, medical treatment)
  • An absence related to the Covid-19 pandemic
  • From 16 July 2025, there is a new absence requirement, in addition to the above. You can also qualify for Settled status (SS), if you have been resident for at least 30 months in the most recent five years from the date of the settled status application. You do not have to justify any absences for an important reason.

The new rule is more generous and means you can choose the five-year qualifying period which benefits you the most.

Curtailment of pre-settled status

  • Pre-settled status can already be cancelled in certain circumstances, for example false or misleading information in the application. 
  • We understand that the Home Office intends to start curtailing pre-settled status, where there is evidence that the person has never or no longer meets the continuous residence requirement. It is possible therefore, that someone could have their pre settled status automatically extended and then later curtailed.
  • The Home Office should send out a ‘minded to curtail’ letter explaining why the curtailment is being considered. The person should be given 21 days to respond and extra time can be provided if necessary. Any decision to curtail should also be proportionate in terms of the consequences for the individual and there should be a right of appeal. The exact curtailment process has not been confirmed. If this applies to you, you should seek specialist immigration advice.

Settled status

For information on applying for settled status, refer to GOV.UK: Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status). 

The Citizens Advice Service website also has an overview of how to apply, and the kinds of documents you can use to prove residence.

You can apply for settled status when you can show that you meet the relevant five-year continuous residence rules as detailed above.

Automatic granting of settled status

From January 2025, the Home Office has started granting settled status automatically, where the government holds information which confirms someone has met the continuous residence requirement. These could be;

  • National insurance records
  • Home office travel and border data
  • Evidence provided with the application 

People without National Insurance records or people who do not work, which could be some students, may not benefit from these automatic checks. There will also be additional checks for under 18s and sponsored family members.

So, it is possible that you do meet the five-year continuous residence requirement but you will not be granted settled status automatically. In this case, you are advised to make a settled status application, when you believe you have met the continuous residence requirements.

Further advice and support