Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether loans from Student Finance England are being advanced to students from countries with a poor record of repayment.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Eligibility for student finance is not based on nationality, but on immigration status and residency. This ensures that access to support reflects an individual’s established connection to the UK rather than their nationality alone.

Generally, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK to be eligible. They must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, for the three years preceding the first day of the first academic year of their course. Those granted international protection by the Home Office do not need to have settled status or meet the usual three-year ordinary residence requirement.

When a borrower moves overseas, their obligation to repay their student loan remains. If a borrower chooses not to engage with the Student Loan Company (SLC), arrears will build up on the student loan account. The SLC work with a debt collection agency to target borrowers with outstanding arrears. Further action, including legal proceedings, may also be taken to recover the debt.