UKCISA has updated its information about the requirements you need to meet if you want to pay ‘home’ fees on the basis of the ‘Persons granted leave under the Afghan Schemes, and family’ category. The list of types of leave that mean someone counts as a “person granted leave under one of the Afghan Schemes” has been expanded to include one new one:
- Indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain granted under the Afghanistan Response Route
The change has been made because England’s Department for Education issued a policy note to institutions on 28 January 2026 asking them to treat this group as “persons granted leave under one of the Afghan Schemes” for any academic year that starts from 1 August 2025 onwards.
If you are the spouse, civil partner, child or step-child of a person who has indefinite leave under the Afghanistan Response Route then this change might help you too, because the category is not just for “persons granted leave under one of the Aghan Schemes”, but also for these family members in some circumstances.
Action for you if you are a student
If you (or your parent, step-parent, spouse or civil partner) has indefinite leave granted under the Afghanistan Response Route, then please show this story to your fee assessor.
Action for you if you are a fee assessor
Try to identify any students or applicants who have (or whose parent, step-parent, spouse or civil partner has) indefinite leave granted under the Afghanistan Response Route.
If they are already studying with you, and you have already charged them ‘overseas’ fees for the academic year that started on 1 August 2025, then consider offering them a refund.
If they are due to start in the future, then check them against the updated version of the requirements document for the ‘Persons granted leave under the Afghan Schemes, and family’ category (it has the date 29 January 2026 at the bottom of the page).
If you want to read the Department for Education’s policy note
You can read the policy note on the Student Finance England practitioners’ website:
- Go to www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/policy
- Under the heading ‘Policy documents’ open up the ‘Select a policy type’ box and choose ‘2026/27 Student Support Information Notes’
- Download the document titled ‘SSIN 02/26 – Afghanistan Response Route’
The policy note indicates that the Department for Education will formalise the request they have made to institutions in their policy note at a later date, by issuing a set of regulations.
