2024/25 residency policy changes

Dependent children Indefinite leave to remain and abuse or bereaved partner

From academic year 2024/25

• children or step-children of those who’ve been given indefinite leave to enter or remain as a victim of domestic violence
• children or step-children of those who’ve been given indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

may be eligible for funding under these categories without the need for the learner to have been granted leave too.

Adding Settlement as an event

Currently, to access financial support, learners need to hold settled status on the first day of their course. If they gain settled status after this date, the learner does not become eligible and cannot access support for the entire course.
From academic year 2024/25, we’ve added settled immigration status under any route to the regulations as an in-year qualifying event. This means learners will be eligible for support, if they meet the other requirements of the relevant residence category.

Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme

From academic year 2024/25 the Home Office has created a new Ukraine scheme called the “Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme”. The first award of leave under the new scheme is expected to be granted in March 2025.

The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme will only be available to learners who have leave under one of the three current Ukraine schemes. These learners will be able to replace their existing leave when it expires with leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme. They’ll need to apply to the Home Office for leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.  Leave under the new scheme will not be automatically awarded on expiry of the current leave.

Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme leave will be limited leave, which in all cases lasts for 18 months. It’s not been confirmed what, if any, form of leave will be granted at the end of the 18-month leave period. However, it’s expected that these learners will be permitted to remain in the UK beyond the end of this 18-month period of leave.  This is either through an extension to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme or through other standard immigration routes, allowing them to complete their course.

The Home Office is planning to close two of the current schemes to new learners:

• the Ukraine Extension Scheme predicted for Spring 2024
• the Ukraine Family Scheme predicted for the end of 2024

Any leave that has been granted before the schemes have closed will remain in place for the full three-year period. The Homes for Ukraine Scheme will remain open to new learners.

New learners in academic year 2024/25 or later, and their eligible family members, can apply for support under the Ukraine schemes category. The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme leave must have been granted on or before the first day of the course.

Continuing learners from academic year 2024/25 with Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme leave, and their eligible family members, can apply for support under the Ukraine schemes category. 

They must've been given funding under one of the current forms of Ukraine scheme leave and then granted leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme. 

These learners will not be subject to regulatory termination provisions, where these apply, as long as they have a valid form of leave before the first day of the next year of their course. 

New and continuing learners who are granted Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme leave may also become eligible as an event in academic year 2024/25.

Chagossians with British Citizenship

From AY 2024/25, we’ve introduced a new eligibility route within the British Overseas Territories (BOTs) category for Chagossians with British citizenship. 

Chagossian learners will be eligible for funding if they’re:

• new Learners who start an eligible course in academic year 2024/25 or later (on or after 1 August 2024)
• continuing learners in academic year 2024/25 or later who started an eligible course in 2022/23 or 2023/24

Funding will be available to learners who:

• are Chagossians with British citizenship
• are undertaking an eligible course in England
• have been ordinarily resident in the territory comprising the UK, Islands, and specified BOTs for the full three-year period the first day of the course, with at least part of that time spent in the specified BOTs

Chagossians will be treated as being ordinarily resident in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) during any period they are not ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, regardless of where they’re resident during that time.

The term ‘Chagossian’ includes the following:

• British citizens who were born on the islands which now form the BIOT
• British citizens who are a direct descendant of a person who was born on the islands which now form the BIOT (for example, their children, grandchildren and other direct descendants by birth or adoption)

Only those defined as ‘Chagossians’ are in scope for this eligibility category.

The following are excluded from the term ‘Chagossian’:

• stepchildren and other descendants who are related by marriage
  any other family members who are not direct descendants of a person who was born in the BIOT

National Insurance number (NINO) process addition

Full-support categories

We have not made changes to the process for learners who apply under a ‘full support’ regulatory category. They’ll still need to provide a NINO before they’re paid.

Fee-only categories

From academic year 2024/25, the process will change for new learners who start a course on or after 1 August 2024, who are eligible under a ‘fee-only’ regulatory category. These learners will be able to access the first three monthly loan instalments. We’ll release the fourth and any following loan instalments when they give us their valid NINO.