Will the Minister confirm if university students that are EU citizens and have pre-settled status in Wales are eligible for student finance?
An EU student currently receiving support from the Welsh Government should continue to do so. Subject to regulations being made, the Welsh Government intends that from the 2021/22 academic year students who have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will be eligible for student finance if they meet certain criteria. Amongst other things, an applicant must have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and Islands throughout the three-year period immediately preceding the first day of the first academic year of the course and be ordinarily resident in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of the course to access full support. Those who do not meet this criteria may be eligible for some elements of support if they have been ordinarily resident in the territory comprising the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, the EEA, and Switzerland throughout the three-year period preceding the first day of the first academic year of the course and are undertaking a designated course in Wales.