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Staff & students

Brexit information for students

Advice for EU/EEA nationals about what has changed since Brexit.

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You will need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you will be studying in the UK for less than 6 months, and if you are a non-visa national, this visa stamp could be obtained upon arrival at the UK border by presenting a course offer letter from Goldsmiths.

You should try and see a border official to get the appropriate visa stamp, but if you are not able to and come through via the eGates, then you should retain evidence of your proof of entry to the UK (i.e. flight details/boarding pass) as we may require the details for our records.

If you are a non-visa national and have previously had immigration issues in the UK, then please do contact us ahead of travel so we can advise accordingly.

If you arrived in the UK to study after 31 December 2020 and was not a returning UK resident, then you will need a visa to study in the UK. For a full-time programme, this would mean applying for a Student visa and for Study Abroad/Erasmus courses less than 6 months would require a Standard Visitor visa.

If you were eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme but missed the June 2021 deadline to apply then the Home Office may not accept a late application without a qualifying reason so you may therefore be required to apply for a Student visa to study in the UK.

If you are an Irish national, Brexit will not change your status as Irish nationals  are automatically deemed to hold settled status in the UK, therefore you are not required to do anything as a result of Brexit.

However, you can continue to apply for British citizenship if you meet the requirements. In particular, you must not have been absent from the UK for more than 450 days in the five year period before you apply, or 90 days in the year immediately before the application.

Comprehensive Sickness Insurance

Those applying under the EU Settlement Scheme will not be required to show that they held comprehensive sickness insurance during their time in the UK.

For more information about healthcare please read UKCISA's advise on healthcare while studying in the UK. 

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

The UK Government has confirmed that an EHIC can continue to be used in the UK and other EU countries. UK residents will be able to apply for the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) once their EHIC expires.

You may find the webpages below useful to refer to;

Further information can be found:

  • Gov.uk provides information for EU staff and students from the UK government
  • Universities UK (UUK) is the Higher Education sector’s representative body with guidance for university staff and students