Understanding fee status: glossary of terms and our approach

We use the criteria outlined in UKCISA’s guidance on fee status, which includes a glossary of definitions for key terms. These terms can be interpreted differently by each university. Below, we explain how The University of Manchester applies some of the most commonly used terms and criteria. 

Immigration status 

Your UK immigration status plays a key role in determining your tuition fee status. A common misconception is that simply living in the UK for three years qualifies someone for ‘Home’ fee status. However, this residency requirement must be supported by the appropriate immigration status or nationality. 

Due to recent UKVI changes, we can no longer accept physical documents (for example, Biometric Residence Permits, visa vignettes, or wet-ink passport stamps) as proof of immigration status. Instead, you must provide an eVisa share code when submitting your tuition fee assessment. 

• If you haven’t set up your UKVI account yet, visit the UKVI immigration status website. 
• If you have, request an ‘anything else’ share code (not a ‘right to work’ code) via the share code service. 

If you hold Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain and currently use a physical document (for example, a vignette or passport wet ink stamp), you should apply for a free No Time Limit (NTL) application. Once approved, you’ll receive an eVisa and instructions on how to access it. 

If you're claiming ‘Home’ fee status based on nationality, you must provide a valid passport or certificate of naturalisation as evidence. 

Ordinary residence 

Many UKCISA fee status categories refer to the term ‘ordinary residence’, which means living in a place habitually, normally, and lawfully. Most categories require applicants to have been ordinarily resident in a specific area for the full three years before the first day of the academic year of the course. 

Temporary absences from the residence area (for example, for holidays, work, or medical reasons) are usually disregarded. You can read more about our approach to temporary absences due to employment or education below. 

In most categories, your residence in the relevant area must not have been primarily for full-time education. However, if you would have lived in the area regardless of your studies (for example, your family also lives there), you may still meet the requirement. We may ask for supporting evidence, such as proof that a parent or spouse resides with you in the relevant area. 

Resident in more than one place at the same time 

In some cases, applicants may be considered ordinarily resident in more than one country if they can show a regular, lawful, and habitual way of life in both places. This includes maintaining links to the UK through frequent visits and active participation in family, work, education, or community life (see below). 

Maintaining links  

If you hold British or Irish citizenship but have lived outside the UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Overseas Territories during all or part of the three years before your course starts, you may still be considered ordinarily resident if you’ve maintained strong and regular links to the UK. 

We will initially assess your visits over the last three years. However, we may also consider return visits over the last ten years (or since you moved abroad, whichever is shorter) to help us determine whether you have an established, habitual lifestyle in the UK. This broader timeframe allows us to assess your long-term connection, rather than only recent activity. To meet this requirement, you should have made at least one visit every two years in that ten-year period. We understand that travel was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we allow a grace period for 2020–21 without penalty. 

 What counts as a habitual visit? 

To demonstrate a regular, habitual way of life, your visits should show consistency, such as returning to the same address or visiting the same family or friends. If you travel across the UK to see different people, you must show a consistent pattern across all visits and include an explanation of who you are visiting and why. Tourist or educational trips do not count, as they don’t reflect a sustained personal connection to the UK. 

What evidence do we accept? 

All evidence must: 

• Be in your own name 
• Include the full date, including the year 

We cannot accept: 

• Travel documents in a family member’s name 
• Boarding passes (most do not show the year) 
• Property ownership or tax records – these do not prove habitual residence, as it’s possible to own property or pay tax in the UK while living abroad 

A list of acceptable visit evidence is available at the end of this page. 

Temporary absence 

If you’ve lived outside the UK during any part of the three years before your course starts and haven’t made sufficient return visits, you may still be considered ordinarily resident but only if your time abroad is proven to be temporary. 

We understand that applicants and their families may be temporarily displaced due to employment or education. However, to be considered a temporary absence, you must provide clear, documented evidence that your time abroad was not permanent. 

Absences of 11 years or more are unlikely to be considered temporary. 

What counts as temporary absence? 

To support a claim of temporary absence due to employment, we normally require employment contracts (yours or your parents’) that:  

• Cover the entire period spent abroad 
• Clearly state start and end dates 
• Explicitly confirm the role is temporary 

We cannot accept: 

• Contracts without firm dates 
• Verbal or spoken agreements 
• Temporary visas as evidence of temporary absence 

Limitation of visa evidence

We recognise that in many countries, non-citizens are issued a series of fixed-term visas. However, visa type alone does not reflect intent or lifestyle. Some countries offer shorter pathways to permanent residency or citizenship, while others do not. To ensure fairness, we assess all applicants by the same standard based on lifestyle and documented intent, not immigration policy differences. 

What we look for 

We assess whether your time abroad was part of a temporary relocation, rather than a permanent move. This means we look for: 

• Evidence of a planned return to the UK;
• A lifestyle that reflects temporary displacement, not long-term settlement; 
• Supporting documentation that aligns with this intent.

If you cannot provide sufficient evidence that your absence was temporary, and you have not made regular return visits to the UK, it may affect your eligibility for Home fee status. 

Supporting evidence

Most applicants will need to provide additional documentation as outlined in the Tuition Fee Assessment Form. In some cases, the Fee Assessment Team may request further details by email. However, if specific evidence is already requested within the form, assessors are not obligated to follow up, and a decision may be made based solely on what you’ve submitted. 

We strongly encourage applicants to use the Additional Details section of the form to share any relevant personal circumstances or supporting information to ensure your situation is fully understood. 

Fee status advice and Frequently Asked Questions 

We’ve shared answers to some of the most common questions we receive from applicants about tuition fee status below.