Watchdog advises students on how to protect their rights in new academic year

The Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements (IMA), which monitors the rights of EU and EEA EFTA citizens post Brexit, is reminding EU students settled in the UK of their rights as they start university this year.

In particular, the watchdog wants students to be aware of the significance of Certificates of Application; paperwork which should be issued as soon as an EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) application is made.

While waiting for confirmation of status, this document enables citizens to exercise their rights. In the case of students this means their entitlement to equal treatment in accessing education.

Certificates of Application are likely to be needed for both admission to a university course and to secure any funding an individual may be eligible for.

Pam Everett, Operations Director for the IMA said:

“One of the IMA’s duties is to help citizens understand their rights. We can’t assume that all students will be aware of the paperwork which entitles them to exercise those rights.

“As the new university term beings, we want to reach out to EU students to ensure they know about the importance of Certificates of Application so that there are no hitches around starting courses or receiving the funding they may be entitled to.”

The IMA’s concern around students’ awareness of Certificates of Application is heightened by complaints the organisation has received around delays in the paperwork being issued.

In fact the IMA is currently carrying out an inquiry into the problem.

Pam added: “If students have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and have not received a Certificate of Application then I would urge them to let us know via our Inquiry’s call for evidence.

“If students do have status or a Certificate of Application and are still having issues starting university or securing any funding they should be entitled to, we’d urge them to log a complaint on our website.

“If there are any systemic issues in the education system this will enable the IMA to address them as soon as possible.”