Founders and Coders
To receive government funding for this apprenticeship, you must meet specific residency criteria set by the Department for Education.
The three-year rule: You must have been ordinarily resident in the UK (or have "pre-settled" or "settled" status if you are a UK/EEA citizen) for at least the previous three years before the apprenticeship starts. "Ordinarily resident" means living here as your normal, settled home; not visiting temporarily or staying for a specific short-term purpose.
If you've been in the UK on a student visa (Tier 4), that time does not count towards the three-year residency requirement. The DfE defines ordinary residence as having permission to live in the UK "not for educational purposes." This means that someone who completed a three-year degree on a student visa would not automatically become eligible for apprenticeship funding upon graduation.
If you've moved from a student visa to a Graduate visa, you may be eligible for funding, but only if you can demonstrate three years of qualifying residency. The Graduate visa itself counts towards residency (as it's a work visa, not a study visa), but the years spent on your student visa typically do not. This is an area where individual circumstances vary, and we assess eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
You must have the legal right to work in the UK for the entire duration of the apprenticeship, including the End Point Assessment period. Apprenticeships do not come with visa sponsorship. If your right to work expires before the programme ends, you would not be eligible to start.