Fact Check: Do you have the right to study?

So you’ve decided what you want to study and where you want to go. But have you considered if you’re allowed to study there?

No need to panic because we’ve got you covered.

Skip to sections

Caribbean

In the Caribbean we have a number of universities which are renowned worldwide for excellence such as the University of the West Indies.

The Turks and Caicos Islands now has access to the UWI Open Campus which means if you are resident in the Turks and Caicos Islands you already have the green light to study and work.

What will you need? A passport & a student visa.

To be 100% sure you are safe to study and work in your country of choice, contact the university you are interested in for further details.

North America

Canada

If you are not a Canadian citizen, you are required to have a study permit to study.

For information on how to apply click here.

United States of America

If you are not an American citizen, you are required to have a student visa to study.

For information on which visa is required and how to apply click here.

United Kingdom

Before we go into the meat of things let’s make two distinctions.

British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) – is a class of British nationality granted to people connected with one or more of the British Overseas Territories. – Wikipedia

British Citizen – You can live and work in the UK free of any immigration controls if you’re a British citizen. – Gov.UK

The Turks and Caicos Islands is a British Overseas territory therefore our citizenship, and our ability to obtain a Turks and Caicos Islands passport is governed by the British Nationality Act.

You can be permitted to have Turks and Caicos Islander status and ultimately British Overseas Territory Citizenship (of the TCI). As a result, we are called British Overseas Territory Citizens (BOTC). A Turks and Caicos Islander can be both a BOTC and British Citizen – but not everyone is automatically a British Citizen.

To find out which of these is your nationality, check your passport or click here. Also to find out if you have only Turks and Caicos Islander Status and not BOTC click here.

If you’ve been a BOTC before May 2002 you automatically hold British citizenship. For those born after May 2002, your parent or parents must have been BOTC or British Citizen before May 2002, for you to gain automatic British Citizenship [at the time of birth or before adoption].

Consequently, if you are not also a British Citizen you are not automatically permitted to pay home fees, study and work in the UK. In turn you will be required to pay international fees and apply for a UK student visa.

Alternatively as a BOTC, you can apply to register as a British Citizen. It is worth the time and money as you will then hold dual-citizenship and pay reduced university fees (find out about fees here).

In summary as a BOTC to study and pay ‘home fees’ in the UK you must have:

a British Overseas Territories Citizen passport issued before 21 May 2002; or
a British Dependent Territories Citizen passport issued before 21 May 2002; or
a British Overseas Territories Citizen passport issued on or after 21 May 2002, but only if you also provide evidence that you or your parent was born in a British overseas territory, or evidence that you or your parent was registered or naturalised as a citizen (for example, as a British Subject, a Citizen of the UK and Colonies, a British Citizen, a British Dependent Territories Citizen, or a British Overseas Territories Citizen) before 21 May 2002. – Source: UK Department for Education in 2017/18 (paragraph 3.1.3, page 14)

If you are still unsure find out if you are allowed to study in the UK click here.