Home Status for UK University Students

[D.B.er]

I would be grateful to share experiences of others applying for home status in UK for their student offspring. My daughter has been out of uk for more than 3 years (almost 7) and starts UNI in uk in september. If she can show that she was in Hong Kong because of "parents temporary employment abroad" then she pays the lower home fees. However our Dragonair employment letter states position "permanent". The university is asking for a copy of the letter/contract.

I had previously planned to return to UK on the KA 400 freighter when my daughter finished school, and I had enough seniority but that option is no longer available.

I understand that Cathay have a specially worded letter they can issue to help with this situation, but I have never seen it.

I realise these things can be a little delicate to negotiate with the Universities, but if anyone can pass on any tips then please pm me

Thanks

D.B.er

[Liam Gallagher]

Rrrrrrright.... so you want all the benefits of being an Expat on a Permanent Contract, which I am assuming would include being non-resident UK Tax. However, you wish for your daughter to reap the benefit of a UK education paid for by the UK Tax-payer.

The words "cake" and "eat" springs to mind.... or do I malign you falsely?

[Kitsune]

Yeah, I'm sure that the tax people never read expat forums..... :cool:

[Freehills]

UKCISA (http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/info_sheets/tuition_fees_ewni.php)

She can delay university for three years while she works in UK (or anywhere in the EU) She'll probably get much more out of college that way as a plus.

Or, as she's been in HK for 7 years, she will count as a local student. HKU teaches in English, 42,000 HKD a year fees (vs 100,000 if overseas) Plus grants available, and cheaper as she can continue to live at home.

Are you or your wife still residents of UK? What I know some people do, is have the spouse & children continue to be declared resident in UK - but as they are actually spending much of the year in HK, and aren't working, there's no UK income tax to pay. But you have to do that at least 3 years prior.

[D.B.er]

Hi Liam,
Its my daughter who wants home status, not me. She would have prefered not to have come to HK but she did not have a choice.
However I did pay UK taxes for the first 27 years of my 33 year flying career. The student status is home or overseas - no pro-rata.

[cithos]

Good evening D.B.er

Cathay used to give a letter to you stating that you were employed in London by John Swire and Sons and temporarily posted, by nature of your responsibilities, in Hong Kong.

You had to collect the letter from the Swire H.Q. in London City.

It worked.

Other solutions that I recall included the mother who stormed, in tears, into the Bursar's Office of a University complaining that her husband had deserted her.

That worked too.

What got right up our noses (in those days - 20 or more years ago) was the problem that we had to get subsidised university education compared to a resident in Macau who could walk into any E.U. University - including those in the U.K.

Hope you all find your desired solutions - but don't forget Australia and N.Z. I have retired in Malaysia and those are now the prefered destinations for Malaysian tertiary education students.