Living in the UK
Education & family
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School places
Every child in the UK aged 5 to 16 is entitled to a free state school place, whatever their or their parents' immigration status. You apply through your local council — mid-year moves use the council's "in-year admissions" process, and schools cannot ask about immigration status as a condition of admission.
Universities and fee status
Whether you pay "home" or much higher "international" fees depends mainly on your status and residence history. In broad terms: people with settled status (and Irish citizens) who meet a three-year residence requirement usually qualify for home fees and student finance; people with pre-settled status usually qualify too, though the detailed conditions differ. The rules are technical and differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — check them, in writing, before accepting an offer.
- UKCISA — the authoritative free guide to fee status for EU citizens, kept current, with a student advice line.
- Student finance (GOV.UK)
Gotcha: universities sometimes misclassify EUSS holders as international students. Fee status can be challenged — UKCISA explains how, and a polite, well-referenced challenge often succeeds.
Childcare
Government help with childcare costs (funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare) is tied to work and income conditions, not nationality — most working parents with EUSS status qualify on the same basis as anyone else.
Children's rights under the Withdrawal Agreement
Children of EUSS holders have their own rights: to their own EUSS status (children needed their own application — some families missed this, and late applications for children are commonly accepted), to education, and — for children of workers — strong equal-treatment rights that can even anchor a parent's right to reside while the child is in education. If a child in your family never got status, treat it as fixable and get regulated advice.
- EUSS: applying for children (GOV.UK)
- The IMA monitors how public bodies uphold these rights — including children's.
Last reviewed: July 2026.