Dear [name]

Now that Article 50 has been triggered and that the UK has started the formal withdrawal process form the EU, I am writing to ask you to push on a Soft Brexit and preserve the rights of European students during negotiations.

The National Union of Students has identified a few negotiation areas that need to be prioritised for our students and I would appreciate that you bring this forward.

The UK’s Brexit deal must:

  1. Ensure international students are welcome in the UK – a hard Brexit will continue the hostile approach to international students, who have become easy targets – both on campuses and through government policies. We believe urgent action is needed to show that international students are welcome. We also believe that international students must be removed from net migration figures if the government is genuine about creating the “truly global” Britain that they speak of.
  2. Provide urgent clarity for EU nationals – for academics who are EU nationals, there’s a lack of clarity about their continued employment and residence, it also affects students who are currently studying here. EU students are not bargaining chips. Students who are already here or who will begin courses in the UK before the UK has formally left the EU need urgent clarity about their status, and this should not be contingent on what the EU offers UK citizens.
  3. Maintain student mobility – Leaving the EU will threaten our continued participation in the Erasmus Plus programme and limits the transformational experience of studying and working abroad to those that can afford it. The Erasmus programme or alternative programmes like it should be a priority in negotiations. For Britain to develop a “truly global” approach we will need internationally literate graduates.
  4. Preserve UK-EU academic collaboration – a key priority for the Government in its negotiations must be to ensure years of academic collaboration on science and technology is not placed in jeopardy.

Furthermore, I believe that asking EU students to provide Comprehensive Sickness Insurance proof, whilst they can receive treatment under the NHS, in order to obtain Permanent Residency, is grossly unfair. EU students, who have legally lived and studied in this country for 5 years, should be able to obtain Permanent Resident status without further obstacles. The UK Government should recognize access to the NHS as basic coverage of health, as comprehensive sickness insurance. I would appreciate it if you would push on a debate in Parliament around Comprehensive Sickness Insurance and the right of EU students to stay in this country.

The British electorate voted by 52% to leave the European Union. But 48% voted to Remain. We understand that Article 50 had to be triggered to respect the will of the majority who voted Leave. However, that majority has not voted for a Hard Brexit and considering that 75% of British people do not consider students as immigrants, according to a UUK survey, we are justified to fight for them in the negotiations.

For these reasons, please consider pushing for a Soft Brexit and for the preservation of EU students’ rights.

Yours sincerely,