As you may be aware, on 23 June 2016 the British public voted to leave the European Union. We are now entering a period of uncertainty as the UK Government prepares to clarify its process for managing this significant change. It is our understanding from the guidance in the EU Treaty that changes to existing legislation are unlikely to be immediate and could take up to two years.
We recognise that this could be an anxious period for many people either considering or currently studying and working at the University of Southampton. Until there is further clarity the University would like to assure you that we are doing our best to understand the issues and reduce the impact where possible. We are working closely with Universities UK which has made the following statement,
“Barring unilateral action from the UK Government, we are advised that the vote to leave the European Union does not mean there will be any immediate material change to the UK university sector’s participation in EU programmes such as Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+, nor to the immigration status of current and prospective EU students and staff.”
For further information please see the full Universities UK statement.
The University of Southampton hugely values all of its staff and students whatever their citizenship. As we get to understand the process of Brexit over the coming months and years we’ll work with all of our community to address the implications.