Brexit: EU further education students to pay local tuition fees

EU students at NI further education colleges are eligible to be charged the same tuition fees as local students, a Stormont committee has been told.

There are about 2,135 EU students studying at the six further education colleges in Northern Ireland.

They represent almost 4% of the further education student population, but do not include those from the Republic of Ireland.

MLAs had asked how many students would be affected by EU exit regulations.

The Department for the Economy told the Economy Committee that those students who had applied for EU settled status would receive a certificate of application which would give them access to work, benefits, services and the tuition fee rate paid by local students.

There would also be a delay in requests for tuition fees for those students who had not yet received confirmation of settled status after the new academic year begins.

The committee also heard that the Northern Ireland Executive has written to the Home Office, asking for an extension to the EU Resettlement deadline.

EU citizens living in the UK had until 30 June to apply to stay or lose their rights, under post-Brexit rules introduced by the government.

More than 90,000 EU citizens living in Northern Ireland applied, but it is thought many people missed the deadline.

The UK government said anyone who had applied on time would have their existing rights protected while their case was heard.

The government has been under pressure to extend the deadline.