Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling people who hold Leave to Remain visa status to apply for student finance.

The public funds available for student support are targeted on those persons with a lawful and substantial residential connection to the UK.

Student finance is generally available to those who have no restrictions on their ability to live and work in the UK, so that they are likely to be able stay in the UK to complete their education and contribute to the UK economy afterwards.

In 2016, the regulations governing student support were amended to introduce a new eligibility category for those who do not have settled status but who have resided in the UK for an extended period. The amendment extended access to support to students who have spent half their life or at least 20 years in the UK preceding the first day of the first academic year of their course, or 7 years for those under 18 years old. Like most other students, they must be ordinarily resident in England and have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for the 3 years preceding the first day of the first academic year of their course to qualify for support.