EU, EEA and Swiss Nationals

The UK left the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020. From then until 31 December 2020, a transition period was in place, allowing freedom of movement between the UK and EU.

If you entered the UK on or before 31 December 2020, you can study in the UK without restrictions as long as you applied for pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021. You can however, still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if that deadline did not apply to you or you have ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying by the deadline. Find out more details here.

If you entered the UK on or after 1 January 2021, you must apply for a Student visa in the same way as any other non-UK national, via the Student route.

The EU Settlement Scheme

If you entered the UK on or before 31 December 2020

If you came to the UK on or before 31 December 2020 and are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you do not need to apply for a Student visa if you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme. If you have a decision on your application from the UKVI you would need to provide us with a ‘share code’ so we can verify your immigration status. If your application is still pending you need to provide us with a Certificate of Approval letter to confirm that you submitted your application.

Find out more about the EU Settlement Scheme.

If you entered the UK on or after 1 January 2021

The Student route

If you entered the UK on or after 1 January 2021, you would need to apply for a visa to study in the UK in the same way as any other international applicant. Please visit our International page for details on making a Student visa application. More details on applying for a Student visa can be found here: Student visa.

Further guidance for EU/EEA and Swiss applicants can be found here: EU student information

If you have any questions regarding the EU Settlement Scheme or any of the above information, please contact our Compliance Manager at visa.compliance@bil.ac.uk or call us on +44(0)20 7078 8843.