ezzie

I've just realised that due to tardiness of dh, if we do go, we will now miss 3 yr rule by a couple of weeks. Anyone know if they'll stick to this like glue or whether they can be a little 'flexible'.

jad n rich

For 12,000 GBP per kid per year, I would be dumping DH or BH as I would be calling him for a few weeks and going early, leaving him to sort out final matters in OZ.

Its an incredible amount of money, one I might add we would have to find as we have been here 9 years. Thought you had been here 20? how do you get back in the 3 year rule in the first place tell me now with the pound the way it is and 3 year wait to get into frostyland I need to know

ezzie

Son is 16. Two years 'A' levels then an enforced gap year.

Also, no way I could leave dh to sort things out....he can't even organise picking his daughter up from a friends (which is where I'm off to now!!!)

quoll

I doubt they would be panicking about a couple of weeks. I shouldnt think the uni bureaucrats would even be asking when you arrived back in the country to be honest - they will look at A level results, gap year activities and that will be it.

ezzie

I've seen the form.....complete breakdown of times spent working overseas etc. Damn it!

dunroving

Although I don't follow these threads too closely (no kids myself), I'm sure I recall a number of folks over the years saying they got around the international fees issue in a number of ways. Pretty sure that one was simply talking with individual universities and colleges (i.e., not all apply the rule as strictly). It does seem unfair on "kids" (OK, they're adults when they go to uni) being penalised because they had no choice but to follow their parents overseas ... especially when other services like the NHS are free as soon as you get off the plane (provided you're returning as a resident, that is).

Does the 3-yr rule apply to the parents, or the student? If the latter, is there any way to send your son home early, stay with rellies for a few weeks?

quoll

Just say September 09 (who would remember the exact date anyway?) - they wont be bothering about exact dates but I agree with Dunroving, I am sure I have seen on here that folk have "negotiated" with individual universities.

Patzy

My daughter came over to the States with me when she was 17, at 19 she decided to go to Uni in the UK. As she had only been out of the country for 2 years and was a minor at the time of relocating, she was still classed as being 'ordinarily resident' in the UK. She was granted a student loan with no problem. As a few have already said here it does depend on the individual universities on how they apply the rules.

Aviator

It's the parents who have responsibility for the children not the state (tax payers). The parents had and took the choice to move, presumably after doing research and knowing the implications on their children. We make choices, we live with the consequences and children will blame us later if we screw their lives up.

My daughter would love to go to university in Britain, however she has been away since she was 3. I could bleat on about years of paying taxes, serving my country in peace time and conflict (but I won't).

dunroving

That's a statement of your philosophy regarding whether returning children should be classified as resident for purposes of university fees - do you feel the same way about NHS charges? My point was as much about parity wiith other services that seem to class returnees as resident immediately as it was about Government policies having the consequence that parents screw things up for their kids.

I'm glad you're not a bleater, but hopefully that's not how you view others on this forum who IMO are making a pretty reasonable case for why treatment re: university fees is inconsistent wiith other policies.

(BTW, the post above this one indicates there is some precedence for my point - that minors may not be held responsible for the actions of their parents ...)

Aviator

But the parents (the ones complaining) are, yet seem to try and blame the system. In most cases the system was in place before many left. They are making the choice for their children and should accept responsibility for that choice and quit complaining when they regret the choice. Should the NHS follow, maybe, but then that's be something else to complain about. Getting educational fees paid is hardly life or death, whereas medical care is a little more critical.

dunroving

I think that most people (myself included, back in 1983) have little idea about the multitude of consequences of becoming an expat, so I don't think you can characterise them as making the 100's of associated "choices" (the only real choice they make consciously is to leave the country). Many expats don't even have an idea how long they'll be away, whether they'll have kids while they're overseas, whether they'll come back, etc. You only have to read the threads on MBTTUK to see how many people are nonplussed at the ways in which they are disadvantaged as returning citizens of the UK.

As for healthcare, there's always the option of paying for health insurance so the "life or death" issue doesn't justify free NHS care if education isn't free. Besides, much NHS care isn't "life or death" (sniffs and sneezes are hardly as important as a degree that might prepare a young adult for life)

For many reasons, expats often return at a huge financial disadvantage compared to before they left, it just doesn't help any that their kids have to pay extra to get an education.

When you consider the number of lazy sods who live in the UK and contribute nothing and take everything, it doesn't seem right that their kids get free education, but someone who, say, paid into the system for 30 years has to pay purely because they took a brief attempt at living in a different country. And if that's complaining, I'm not about to quit and IMO neither should anyone else.

hereandthere

I would be careful following some of the advice on this thread. There might be some flexibility but only if you get on the right side of the uni finance office in question. Usually they adhere to the rules for legal reasons.

brits1

We have found our sons Uni very flexiable...explained everything to the course tutor and the tutor was very,very helpful, you have to go through UCAS for your application but we spoke to our sons chosen Uni first. I would do the same if I was you....and then take it from there....there was a newsletter that also stated the government was looking to waiver fee's for students who lived at home with their parents.....hopefully this will happen asap....good luck

hereandthere

I'd be surprised if a tutor has anything to do with it. It's a finance office decision. They check the residency status of applicants, not personal tutors.