Brexit: Hungarian students and employees are worried

Origo.hu writes that the possible negative effects of Brexit have been talked about in Europe for a while, but as people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union on Friday, the exit became a reality. Thus, the new situation worries the Hungarians who work or study – or plan to study – there, as well.

Ever since Brexit was voted by the majority of people in the UK on Friday, questions and worries about the future started to emerge rapidly. As Hungarian people also live there, the results of the EU Referendum clearly affects them as well.

While the UK is still part of the EU – until the leaving process starts and finishes thereafter – every citizen of the EU who decides to study there has to face the very same educational and financial conditions as the British citizens. Which means that they have to pay just as much tuition fee as the British, they can apply and receive student loans under the same beneficial conditions.

Furthermore, just like the locals, EU citizens do not have to pay for health insurance, and entry or residing permissions and visas are not required either. Currently, there are 125 thousand non-British EU citizens who study at the colleges or universities in the UK, making up approximately 5% of all students. Of them, about 2000 students are Hungarians participating in a Bachelor programme.

Interestingly, as leaving the EU is unprecedented just now, not many things are sure about Brexit; not even the process of leaving the Union is known. Yet, it seems certain that the preparing process will last for about two years, during which time the UK is to obey to all valid EU rules and agreements. Hence, the changes caused by Brexit do not affect those students – whether British or EU citizens – who have already begun or about to start their studies in the UK within the next two years.

Moreover, it is presupposed that Hungarian students who would do their final exams in 2017 and 2018, will be able to study in UK under the current conditions, if, of course, their application is successful. However complex the preparation of the leaving process is, it is likely that the conditions would be the same even after 2018.

However, there is a worst case scenario, too, by which every student from the EU would be subject to the same conditions as the citizens of other countries, outside the EU, after Britain leaving the Union. In that case, the average tuition fee would cost 9000 GBP, which amount is about the double of the current one; and EU citizens will stop being able to receive the British student loans, and become obliged to pay health insurance.