Thanks for the advice - I'm going to take a look at OU (overlooked that) as well as some kind employment... I still have family there and for all intents and purposes I'm British even though I haven't been anywhere long enough to really call it home.

Penguinsix - I get what you are saying, I have often wondered whether I'm romanticizing going back to uk as a cure-all for my woes, or like I can reclaim a part if my identity or something. Frankly, I don't have that much to loose; there's no one here I will miss and I don't have any kind of assets here to speak of except for a half finished undeclared arts degree from uoft that I never cared about and am never going to be bothered to fund again.

Unfortunately, I haven't had any marketable ideas or talents yet and therefore have to prove my worth by getting my parents, the government, or a bank to purchase a degree for me. Only then will I stand a chance in the pyramid scheme that is life.

Let me tell you a little story.

Before I retired I was working in Silicon Valley California as a Patent Agent (that is basically a technical/legal writing job). My only son (an above average achiever, but only slightly) was getting towards the end of high school and concerned with university entrance requirement. Univ of Calif was regarded as highly prized but he probably wouldn’t qualify, or only just.

So, one day speaking with a colleague, he said “My boy got into UC, even got a damn good scholarship and walked away from it”. Here is how it happened.
My colleague was deeply involved with some church as were his kids. The kid negotiated a year before college a one year volunteer position down in some rural area of South America. Junior missionary or some such, I don’t know details.

So the kid writes to the college who say “No problem. Since you are doing something worldy worthwhile for the year you can defer university entrance by one year. See you in 18 months or so.”

Then the South American assignment fell through. Funding problem or political change or something. So the kid calls the college back and they say “Oh. So sorry, you can’t "undefer"; we have already given your place away. See you in 18 months or so as planned.”

So the kid is at a loose end for a year. Determined not to waste the year but at a loss for the first few months, he signs up for a training school class to learn the trade of a lineman (linesman in UK usage, not sure about Canada). That is someone who repairs stuff involving climbing electricity pylons for a living. Halfway through the training course (I seem to recall it was three months or so) the class is visited by this construction industry employer who says “We have a big job coming up in the Tennessee valley. Everyone who graduates this class has a job offer from my company.”

Instead of saying “Wow, thanks” the kid, who is not yet street smart, says “But I’m going to university in six months time, otherwise it sounds great”. The recruiter says “We need people even for just a few months. Welcome to your summer job if you want it”.

To cut the rest of the story short the kid never did go to university and got to work on power lines 100 metres above the Amazon jungle. Makes more money than Croesus working ungodly hours in who knows where. He told his dad, I can do university later, there’s no rush for a few years.

Young, fit, adventurous, multinational. The world is your oyster. Seize it with a passion. Send 20 enthusiastic letters on paper to prospective employers in tomorrow's mail. Be very very brief on the details, tell them your aspirations, be sure to ask them to telephone you back to discuss. If you are a dual citizen say so. If no response after a month send the same thing again to the same places.

No British university is going to accept someone onto any degree programme if they are anywhere close to 98% finished. You can't transfer in and out of university like you can in the US and other places.

The OP has no chance at all of being entitled to student loans or paying home fees in the UK. If he really wants a British university degree he might consider the OU (but they have raised their fees a lot recently, and he would still have to pay international fees), he might also consider the University of London international programme. If I were him I would finish uni in Canada.

Sure you can if you are not transferring any credit.

A person could go to Scotland, get a job, do OU part time for 3 years and be 98% done with OU. Then start an undergrad degree at a conventional university, all paid (Scotland, 3 years residence with employment). And, after starting the new undergrad degree finish the OU one. Three or four years later two degrees have been obtained. They could even do an OU taught masters at the same time.

You can't "transfer in and out" of US universities, either. Unless of course you plan to take 10 years to graduate. Most US universities usually have a reqiurement to have completed at least X% (e.g., 50%) of coursework at the awarding university.

And in fact, you can transfer into UK universities - even halfway into a program, at some institutions.

I don't know where you're getting your information from but you're mistaken. The student loan company will only fund you for time at university which you have not already completed. This means if you did years 1 and 2 of a degree with the OU, you would not be eligible for funding for years 1 and 2 of a new degree at a different university, it does not matter if you finish the degree or not. And even if you're a resident in Scotland where there are no fees, the Scottish government will not pay for you to effectively redo the first two years of university.

Not at any university I have ever heard of. Some local colleges may offer top-up degrees but they're hardly the same thing.

The university I work at does it, for one. Entry midway into a degree program with, for example, an HND is not uncommon at all.

Eligibility FULL-TIME STUDENTS FROM SCOTLAND 2012-13
http://www.nasma.org.uk/uploads/publ...cotland_FT.pdf

Open University is considered to be part time study. Folks maintain full-time employment while doing OU even though those taking a maximum workload typically blow away 20 whole weekends each year catching up on reading and completing assignments. And do a heftier academic programme in a year than undergrads at conventional universities.

I did 40 years ago and that part has not changed. OU while working is not for party animals and layabouts born with silver spoon though.
OU really is a different animal. Bless Jennie Lee.

Now if you got a loan or grant to do OU it might be different. But almost no-one does and it has only been possible very recently.

You are making one heck of an assumption considering nowhere in that text does it mention part-time degrees, a "part-time course" could be anything at any level, how do you know it refers to university-level education?

The fact is if you do any degree, with the OU or not, part-time or full-time and do not complete it you can't begin a new degree and receive full funding. I know this because that is what the student loans company told me when I asked them last year. I'm a little tired of repeating myself, if you still think I'm wrong you should phone them yourself.

Well, you asked for my source, and I gave one of them.
Thank you for volunteering your source(s).
Here is another source
http://www.saas.gov.uk/_forms/previous_study.pdf
As I have written, OU, without graduation, is different because it is part-time and most students do not receive financial assistance in any form.
Let us cordially and politely agree to differ.

Many universities have bilateral agreements and student exchanges. Visit the international office of your university and see if it is possible for you to to do a semester at a UK university, exvhanges can normally be extended for another semester giving you a full year in the UK to see if it really is what you want. During that year you can enquire at the host university about tranfering if you haven't finished your degree by then.

For the exchange year you would need to continue paying fees at your home university and you would have to pay international fees at the UK university however it would only be for a year rather than paying for 3 or 4 if you start the degree over again.

Having been an international student exchange coordinator at a US and a UK university, I have to say that almost everything you just said is inaccurate.

Exchanges can not "normally" be extended for another semester.

Transferring of international credit to subsequently graduate at the transfer university is highly unlikely (except within the EU, based on the Bologna Agreement).

Whether you pay fees at your own insitution or the host institution depends entirely on the type of exchange agreement the two institutions have ("fee-based" or "non fee-based"). Under the former, you pay fees at the university you are visiting. Under the latter, you pay fees at your home institution. You would never have to pay fees at both institutions when on an international exchange, to my knowledge.