Beg to differ on the tax bill. It will be sizeable, compared to the States. As in approximately $3,100 in the States (if I didn't have the Daughter in tow, and less - in the vicinity of $2400 - if I claimed her as a dependent), and approximately $7,000 in the UK. Maybe that's not "much" to you, but it certainly fits the definition in my book!
After she has been here for 3 years, the Daughter qualifies for in-country tuition and fees. We have already cleared that with her Uni, based on her having moved here permanently and being an EU-status person (dependent of EU counts as EU) who has access to education. So, 16 more months and she'll pay as a local if she starts her next program
after that point. It's a huge break in fees. If they want to fund her prior to that point, that'd be great. But we're not counting on it. She will be working part time until we know how things will shake out. That was always the plan, anyway.
She and I have covered her degree costs to date. We aren't expected to be "funded" or get "welfare" by the UK otherwise, but are damned tired of people thinking we can, and thinking that we get the council tax household break, etc. Trust me, we've researched the beejeezus out of what she can and can't do. I just hope she hasn't made a mistake by choosing the UK instead of a Uni in the EU. Her employability in the EU is going to take a serious hit from not being an EU person (unless, by some miracle we can get her Irish citizenship). She'll always be second in line behind an EU citizen, unless she manages to become a world-expert in her field (not likely, really). That has me worried, but it's not my decision to make.
It may be that she has to do her PhD in Ireland, where, after 3 years living there she should be able to get citizenship via "Irish Associations" (aka, me - yes, I've already run this down with the Irish government). Since she wouldn't be able to work while there (other than as a Student), I'm not sure how we'd manage it, financially. It may also have to wait until she's been in the UK for 3 years. We know she can't be living out of the UK for more than two years (as it stands now, subject, of course to change) or she would lose ILR here. Will have to investigate if going to school there and being home at Term Time counts against that period. There are some Unis there that offer very generous funding, and so she would not be starving and living in a tent. And it is my understanding that as long as she is a Uni student she is considered dependent. Not sure if that would carry-over if she had to be over there half the time. (Nice thing about research degrees - you don't sit classes, etc., you just do your research. From where-ever you are.) Will deal with that later. Too much other stuff going now. And if she got Irish citizenship, the IRL stuff would be irrelevant anyway.
Once we know what agreements are settled upon, we'll act accordingly.