Erasmus+ after BREXIT

Mobility in the UK following BREXIT

The recent departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union has had a direct impact on Erasmus+ mobility programmes between the country’s universities and those across the rest of Europe. As a result, the United Kingdom will not continue its involvement with the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme, as indicated in the list of frequently asked questions drawn up and published by the European Commission that can be viewed here.

However, the International Relations Service has guaranteed that UIC Barcelona students will still be able to undertake stays in the United Kingdom using 2020-2021 Erasmus+ funds/grants until 30 April 2023, following a special increase in the budget. Work is being done to assess whether UIC Barcelona students and staff will still be able to receive a grant through some other means following this deadline.

This situation does not mark the end of mobility relationships between British universities and UIC Barcelona. The University's International Relations Service is working to re-establish bilateral agreements with the British universities with which we have had mobility agreements until now.

Visa

• Students travelling to the UK to study at academic institutions or to complete a research period will only need a visa if their stay is longer than six months.
• Students and recent graduates travelling to the UK for work placements will require a Tier 5 (T5) visa*. See how to apply for a T5 visa in the section titled “Steps to Apply for T5 Visa”

*This condition does not apply to Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Bioengineering or Biomedicine students who undertake work placement mobility stays in the UK. They should NOT apply for a visa if their work placement will last less than six months.

Steps to follow when applying for a T5 visa

1.The first step in getting a T5 visa is to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). How?

• You need to fill out the T5 HE student application form .
• After completing the form, you must gather together the documents listed in this link.

You will be asked about the amount of the scholarship, which for the United Kingdom is € 400 per month.

All this documentation should be sent to:

• exchange.bcn@uic.es (Barcelona Campus) 
• exchange.scu@uic.es (Sant Cugat Campus)
• The British Council, the body responsible for processing the CoS, will take about five weeks to approve your application.

2. Once the CoS application has been approved by the British Council, you will receive a letter of maintenance, as well as new instructions for applying for your visa.

3. You can start processing your T5 visa now by clicking on this link.

Health Insurance

• For stays of less than 6 months, if you have a valid European health card issued by the EU or are a Norwegian citizen with a valid passport, you will be covered during your stay. 
• For stays of longer than six months, you must pay an Immigration Health Surcharge, along with your visa. Likewise, on the UIC Barcelona side, students travelling via mobility programmes to the United Kingdom will be asked for insurance covering medical issues, travel, civil liability and accidents, as requested for stays in any other country.  

Turing Scheme

• As an alternative to the Erasmus+ programme, the UK Department of Education has introduced the Turing Scheme, an International Mobility Programme, exclusively for students enrolled in English institutions.