President Alice Gast has repeatedly affirmed that “Imperial is, and will remain, a European university”. Imperial is providing staff and students with support and regular updates as we work to mitigate and manage the considerable uncertainty surrounding the Brexit process. Our European ambitions remain undimmed. We are growing our European collaborations. We are working to influence decision-makers in Westminster and Brussels as we campaign for access to European research networks and immigration reform that will allow science to thrive.

Latest News

The current political situation is fast-moving and uncertain. This page and our FAQs will be updated regularly with key developments. If you would like to receive our regular Brexit Briefings, please contact a.wolthuizen@imperial.ac.uk. You can also access past Brexit Briefings in our archive. (login required).

• Government published proposals for a new points-based immigration system on Wednesday. The new system would not apply until 1 January 2021. 

  • From 1 January 2021, EEA and non-EEA citizens would be treated the same. Imperial staff and students that are EEA citizens and resident in the UK before 31 December 2020 will not be affected by these proposals if they apply for the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021. The College continues to support staff and students with this process. Those with settled status will be able to remain in the UK indefinitely whilst those with pre-settled status will be able to stay in the UK for up to 5 years (and then apply for settled status), and will not have to apply for a visa in the future. You can email brexit.advice@imperial.ac.uk if you have any questions.

• The Government will now introduce an Immigration Bill into Parliament in March. This will be debated in Parliament and we will continue to advocate for policies that support science, research and education.  

• Following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, there will be a transition period until at least 31 December 2020 during which no changes to current arrangements with the EU will take place.

• This means that during 2020:

• There will be no change to border arrangements and you can continue to travel as you do now during this time. National identity cards will remain valid to enter the UK during this time, but this is likely to change in 2021 (31 December 2025 for Swiss citizens). We recommend that EU/EEA/Swiss citizens get a passport as soon as possible if they have not got one already. EU/EEA/Swiss staff can still apply to the EU settlement scheme to retain their right to live and work in the UK.

• There will be no changes to access to Horizon 2020 during 2020. UK researchers will continue to be eligible for funding and should continue to apply, including to ERC grants. There are still many open Horizon 2020 calls. Get in touch with the Imperial EU team to find out more.

What happens next?

• 3 March 2020                     Formal negotiations on future relationship begin
• 30 June 2020                      Deadline for requesting an extension to the transition period under withdrawal agreement
• 31 December 2020             End of transition period under the withdrawal agreement

EU Settlement Scheme workshop

The International Student Support team are holding a session on the EU Settlement Scheme which will be of interest to EU/EEA and Swiss national students who are currently studying in the UK. This session will look at how to apply for pre-settled / settled status and give attendees an opportunity to ask questions about the process.

Available session (book by following this link):

Wednesday 4 March 2020 (13:00 -14:00)