CanadaToEnglandandBack

Hello all! I'm not sure if this has been asked before but I'm new to this site so I couldn't find any information!

I was born in Canada but am duel citizen and moved to England when I was 13. I went through school and did my undergrad in the UK before deciding to take a year off and go travelling.. and ended up being on the road for five years! But now I'm finally ready to become and adult and am looking to go back to University and do my Masters in Social Work but I'm worried about trying to get student loans and worried they'll try and make me pay international fees.

My question is, has anyone tried to do this? Technically I know to apply for student loans I'll need to have been in the UK for the past three years and I know technically I haven't. But could I argue that my primary residence was in the UK (all of my mail, official paperwork is linked to my mothers home) and I have kept my British Bank Account active (I pay for my spotify account on it) this whole time that I was backpacking?

I guess I'm asking what is the likelihood that a University will accept me as an Home student and if not, I could argue that I was a resident of the UK?
Thanks so much for any information anyone has!

scot47

Go back to England. Work for 3 years. Theer are plenty of jobs in the Care Sector. Then apply. Not what you want to hear but it is the righteous path.And a way of proving that you are now an adult.

Helen1964

Pulaski

If you had remained in Canada on some sort of temporary visa, your position might have stood a slim chance of success, but being/ becoming a dual citizen puts and end to the argument that you were only overseas temporarily. .... Using mailing records and your mother's address to try to "prove" you were living in the UK is fraud - don't go there!

CanadaToEnglandandBack

Thanks for the reply scot47. I could do without the judgement but I'm sure you thought yours was a "righteous" answer.
That is the plan if I cannot apply for University, I was just wondering if anyone had any experience in this because technically I haven't held any residency anywhere else because I've been on the move and my primary residence has been the UK this whole time. I also have a lot of experience in the care sector both in employment and volunteering, hence the want to go and do my masters. But I'll admit, you can never have too much and I love the work!
Thanks again for taking the time to read my post.

CanadaToEnglandandBack

Hey Pulaski!
I'm not sure what you mean by remained in Canada on a temporary visa? I didn't say I was in Canada right now? I've been on temporary visas (Working Holiday's mostly and tourist visas) during my travels.
And I think I must have worded my initial post wrong. I'm not trying to prove I was living in the UK, I'm trying to prove that it was my primary residence- I was trying to read up on "ordinary residence" before but I find it confusing. I'm not trying to commit fraud, I'm trying to see if anyone has been in this situation before and can help.
Thanks for reading my post though!

Helen1964

Why don’t you contact the admissions offices of the universities you’re applying to and ask them to do a status assessment to determine whether you’re liable for fees at the overseas or home student rate?

Hope this helps.

robin1234

I must admit, when I read your first post, I assumed you were saying you were traveling in CANADA for the past five years. But now I realise, rereading it, you might be saying you were generally traveling abroad, in several countries, and you were just in each country as a visitor. If this is the case, and your residence remained in the UK, then I assume you’d pay home student fees in the UK.

if you were settled in Canada for five years, then, different story.

Jerseygirl

your posts are a little confusing. When you say ‘travels’ and ‘temp visas’...what country/countries are you talking about, it couldn’t be the UK or Canada as you are a citizen?

christmasoompa

+1. If you've been backpacking around the world for the past 5 years but kept your permanent base at the UK then I think you should qualify, but each university makes the decision and the universities admission departments will tell you for sure.

Good luck with the degree.

Pulaski

Sorry, I completely misread your original question. If you lived in the UK from age 13 and after finishing school there have spent the time travelling and were only in other countries on a temporary basis, then I think you likely would considered to be still a UK resident, and as Christmasoompa suggested, I recommend that you contact the universities you are interested in studying at and ask them.

CanadaToEnglandandBack

Hey Helen1964!
Thanks so much for the advice! I feel silly now for not thinking of that haha! I didn't realise that universities can make their own assessment and I could explain my case to them. I'll get right on that!
Thanks again

CanadaToEnglandandBack

Hey Robin1234!
Rereading back on my initial post, I'll admit I was a little confusing haha but I can't seem to edit it to clarify it!
Thanks for the advice! Yeah I've been in a bunch of countries (including Canada I'll admit) but I've not held permanent residency anywhere if that makes sense?
Hopefully I'll be clearer when talking to universities lol!
Thanks again!

CanadaToEnglandandBack

Oh I didn't see you had written twice! Sorry for the second response! I did working holiday visas in New Zealand and Australia, I did go back to Canada for a bit to travel the country but not permanently, I traveled around South East Asia on tourist visas (if you're ever out there I highly recommend Malaysia! You can get a 3 month tourist visa at the border and it's amazing there!) and also did some of the USA and South America. In the past five years I did go back to the UK to save up for 11 months one year and went back for a wedding for 3 weeks a different year.
I've always considered the UK my home base and where I'd settle down. But I know the government could view it differently
So, yeah. They've all been either Working Holiday Visas (which are temporary) or Tourist Visas Hope that clarifies some!

CanadaToEnglandandBack

Thanks again Pulaski!
That's what I thought I could argue but I know sometimes the government can be more "cut and dry" about things. But now that I know I can contact the universities and make my case to them it's really helpful. Regardless I've been really missing the UK so I'm planning on going home at the end of August (safety permitting with COVID-19), settling down with a job preferably working with refugees and immigrants and then not studying until earliest 2021. So I think that might help my case, to show that I'm not flying back into the country just to do my masters and then leave- I'm going back to settle down and would like to do my Masters to help my career.
Anyway! I'm rambling on haha! Have a great day!