What precaution did UK Govt taken for international students?

Introduction

Over the winter break we expect the majority of students will have returned to their family

home, although we recognise that some needed or have chosen to remain at their term

time address. Students have been able to temporarily join another household for the

winter break as outlined in Student movement and plans for the end of term.

The welfare and wellbeing of students, staff and the wider community remains the

government’s priority for the return of students following the winter break. Universities

and other higher education (HE) providers have worked very hard to provide COVID-

secure teaching and learning to all students and the government recognises that virus

transmission in COVID-secure teaching environments has not been identified.

While we are confident that the face-to-face teaching element of blended learning can be

done in COVID-secure environments, the mass movement of students across the country

poses a risk for the transmission of the virus – particularly because of the higher

transmissibility of the new strain - between areas and addressing this risk is the focus of

this revised guidance.

Due to the additional national lockdown measures now in place, we have taken further

steps to reduce transmission, including by significantly reducing the number of students

returning to university from their winter break accommodation, and limiting the number of

people travelling to and from university facilities. We are prioritising the return to face-to-

face teaching for courses which are most important to be delivered in-person in order to

support the pipeline of future key workers. All other courses should continue to be

delivered online. The Government will announce shortly whether any further students can

return to face-to-face teaching from 8 March onwards. Our aim is to minimise the number

of students who return to university to access university facilities.

As always, when local or national conditions change, HE providers should check, revise

and update their risk assessments. Providers should ensure they follow guidance on

shielding and protecting clinically extremely vulnerable people.

The Department for Education (DfE) remains grateful for the HE sector’s support in

making these plans work and understands that a great deal of flexibility will be required,

including on the management of assessment and exams.

We will continue to work with providers to put in place asymptomatic testing

arrangements for all students on return to/arrival at university, and for those students who

have stayed on campus over the winter break, to reduce and better manage outbreaks of

coronavirus (COVID-19).

When students can return to campus

During the period of national lockdown, we are asking HE providers to restrict

significantly the number of students returning to face-to-face teaching from January 2021,

and to reduce the numbers needing to access university facilities wherever possible.

We are now prioritising the return to face-to-face teaching only for courses which are

most important to be delivered in-person in order to support the pipeline of future critical

workers.

On this basis, face-to-face teaching should be restricted to the following, and only where

face to face teaching or placements are needed to deliver learning outcomes. Wherever

possible, teaching and learning should still be provided online:

1. Medicine & dentistry

2. Subjects allied to medicine/health

3. Veterinary science

4. Education (initial teacher training)

5. Social studies (social work)

6. Policing

7. By exception only, a very limited number of courses which require Professional,

Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) assessments and /or other PRSB

mandatory activity which is scheduled for the Spring term and which cannot be

rescheduled (although the presumption is that in the majority of cases, these will

be rescheduled outside the period of national restrictions).

Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) Labels for which HE providers

could consider resuming face-to-face teaching, but there should be no presumption that

all courses within these categorisations should return to in-person teaching. In keeping

with the objective to limit the number of students who return to campus and to facilities,

HE providers should seek to limit the courses that return to face-to-face teaching as far

as possible. For courses falling within categories 1-3 above, the focus should primarily be

on clinical courses.

For those courses which have Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB)

assessments, we expect that the majority of assessments, placements and other

mandatory elements of these courses should be rescheduled until the wider return of

students. In the small number of cases where students may not be able to qualify with

professional accreditation if on-site learning or exams/assessments are not held in

January and cannot be rescheduled, these students can return as planned. This should

be considered on a case-by-case basis and should be the exception.

We appreciate that many providers have already had to compress practical elements of

teaching in the autumn term (in part to enable students to return home safely for theholidays), and we are acutely aware of the challenges that this poses to both providers

and students. However, in these very challenging times, we must continue to adapt and

put in place enhanced measures to reduce transmission rates across the country, while

supporting HE students to continue to progress with their courses.

Staff who are required to deliver or to support delivery of teaching or research and the

provision of appropriate university facilities (including catering, cleaning and provision of

study spaces including laboratories and libraries) are considered critical workers for the

purposes of their children’s attendance at school or college. Travelling for this work

counts as a reasonable excuse for travel, notwithstanding wider travel restrictions in

place. Parents and carers who are critical workers should keep their children home if they

can.

International students who are not already staying on campus should follow the guidance

on new and returning from overseas section of this guidance.

House parties

The government has now introduced a new £800 fine for those attending house parties,

including in halls of residence, which will double for each repeat offence to a maximum

level of £6,400. These fines will apply to those who attend illegal gatherings of more than

15 people from outside their household. Providers should ensure that students are aware

of their designated ‘household’, particularly if they live within large scale student

accommodation.

Return of remaining students

All remaining courses should continue to be offered online as they have been from the

beginning of term. Given the ongoing national restrictions, the return/arrival of all other

students should be postponed until at least 8 March. The Government will announce

shortly whether any further students can return to face-to-face teaching from 8 March

onwards. Providers should not offer in-person teaching before then, or later if further

guidance to this effect is issued, and should encourage students to remain at their

current accommodation until the resumption of their in-person teaching, wherever

possible.

Because of the changing position relating to face to face teaching and occupation of

accommodation, students’ loan entitlements for the current term will not be reassessed if

they are still incurring accommodation costs away from home, meaning that students in

receipt of the ‘living away from home’’ loan will retain the maintenance loans paid at the

start of term, which will be repaid in the usual way. This should help to ensure students

have the financial support they need during these exceptional circumstances. Students

who are no longer incurring accommodation costs away from home (e.g. because they

have exited their contracts, or moved home permanently), or who no longer wish to

receive the higher rate of loan, should continue to request reassessment.

We expect providers to help ensure students know when they should return. Some other

students may also need to return before the resumption of their face-to-face learning, set

out below.

Providers should prioritise the return of students to those courses where in-person

teaching and learning is judged necessary to fulfil learning outcomes, such as for

subjects which require clinical, practical or a vocational/professional learning element; the

delivery of critical and time-sensitive learning, assessments, and work placements.

HE providers should set a clear expectation that all students should access coronavirus

(COVID-19) testing immediately on their return to university and on a twice weekly basis

thereafter (until the end of March). Those who are returning to placements should follow

the testing guidance for their placement setting and undertake a test through their

placement provider where offered, or through their university if advised by the placement

provider.

HE providers should ask those who choose not to get tested on return, to self-isolate for

ten days.

To minimise the risk to themselves and others on their return, students should act

responsibly before they travel and follow National lockdown: Stay at Home - GOV.UK

(www.gov.uk) on social contact. Where available, and where they fit with locally defined

priorities, students should access local community testing programmes to get a lateral

flow device (LFD) test before they travel to university.

International students (including Erasmus+ or other exchange students) who are not

already on campus should follow the guidance on new and returning students from

overseas section of this guidance.

Other students who may need to return to university

facilities

Wherever possible, students should remain at their vacation accommodation (including

where they spent the winter vacation at their term-time address – see below) and should

not travel to access their university facilities until the resumption of their face-to-face

teaching.

Students should avoid returning to university to collect any of their belongings which they

may have left at their university accommodation over the winter break. However,

students can travel back to collect any medical equipment or items required for online

learning if it is essential.

However, HE providers should consider supporting the return of students in exceptional

circumstances, for example, where students do not have access to appropriate

alternative accommodation, facilities or study space, or where students need to return for

health or safety reasons. There may also be some students who have remained in their

university/term-time accommodation over the winter break, or have already returned,

including many international students, but are not expected to return to in-person learning

until at least 8 March. These students should remain at their current university

accommodation. They should be asked to only utilise campus resources when they have

to, in order to reduce footfall on campus, but they should be offered testing alongside the

first expected returners.

HE providers should consider appropriate provision to support access to university

facilities for the purposes of online learning and to prevent isolation and mental health

issues of students.

We would expect university libraries to stay open to provide library services, including

study spaces, in a COVID-secure environment. However, students should not return to

face to face teaching unless they study one of the practical courses identified above and

at Annex 1. The following students should be tested as soon as they start accessing

university facilities:

● international students who have remained in the UK and those who have arrived

and do not have accommodation alternative to their term-time address

● any other students who have remained in their university accommodation over the

winter break

● those who have returned to their term-time accommodation in exceptional

circumstances, for example because they are without access to appropriate study

spaces or facilities in their vacation accommodation

● those requiring additional support, including those with mental health and

wellbeing issues

commuter students, on an exceptional basis where they are not in the first tranche

of returners, who require access to university facilities to access online learning

(for example because they do not have access to appropriate study spaces or

facilities in their usual accommodation)

● researchers and research students who require access to specialist facilities for

their work. If research students can work from home, they are encouraged to do

Opening of Facilities

Providers should consider opening facilities to support the teaching and learning of those

who fall into the categories above, but these should be maintained for essential use only

wherever possible. Providers should make their own judgement on the facilities that need

to be made available and should complete appropriate risk assessments to do so.

Providers should take any additional measures as required, including limiting access

or numbers of students accessing facilities. Facilities that providers may consider

opening include:

● libraries and specialist collections, for both studying and borrowing materials, on

an essential access only basis

● study spaces and practice areas. Practice areas have been included because

students who have remained on campus, or who have already returned, may not

have access to an instrument or suitable space to practice in their university

accommodation, where this is a key part of their ongoing studies. However, this

does not mean that all performance students should return to university, each of

us must play our part to reduce the transmission of the virus. If students have

already travelled back to university, they should remain on campus and not return

home

● facilities required for research activities, including those undertaken by

postgraduate research students, if the research cannot be reasonably conducted

from home, including laboratories, suites and associated offices and specialist

collections. Providers should also adhere to the guidance on working safely in labs

and research facilities during coronavirus (COVID-19)

● catering facilities provided as parts of halls and educational accommodation

can continue to provide that service. All other catering outlets on campus would

need to follow the takeaway only model but on-premises provision can continue

where there is no practical alternative for staff and students to obtain food and

drink, and alcohol is not served for consumption on the premises. Students should

take their food home to the place where they live to consume it wherever possible

● whilst any on site gym and leisure facilities should be closed in line with the wider

government guidance for gyms and leisure facilities, providers may want to

designate specific outdoor areas to allow those students who live in halls, access

to space for exercise

Students who cannot return to university because they

are self-isolating

HE providers should provide guidance to students if they are self-isolating at their home

address and are not returning to campus on their original planned return date, setting out

what steps they should take to return as safely as possible to university when the

isolation period ends and how to access learning and teaching while self-isolating.

Testing plans for asymptomatic students

The government is working with HE providers to offer:

● two tests to all students eligible to attend their university or HE institution, upon

their return from the winter break

● twice weekly testing to all students currently eligible to attend their university or HE

institution (until the end of March).

All HE providers should:

● set an expectation that students should take up the testing on offer and inform

students of how they can access asymptomatic testing

● set out that students should self-isolate for ten days if they do not get tested when

requested when they return to their university

If students are on a placement and not attending university facilities, they should follow

and participate in any testing regime in place at their placement. It is not necessary to

travel to university to be tested before travelling to a placement, unless this is advised by

the placement provider.

Testing staff

The government has also worked closely with providers to support those offering LFD

testing to staff in parallel to students. As we move to a programme of twice weekly

testing, HE providers are strongly encouraged to make testing available for staff and to

advise those staff that are required to be physically present at work in the university, to

take part in the testing programme.

Staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable

During the period of national lockdown, individuals who are clinically extremely

vulnerable are advised to work from home and where this is not possible, they are

advised not to go into work. Individuals in this group will have been identified through a

letter from the NHS or from their GP and may have been advised to shield in the past.

Staff should talk to their employers about how they will be supported, including to work

from home where possible. You should continue to pay clinically extremely vulnerable

staff on their usual terms. Those living with someone who is clinically extremely

vulnerable can still attend work where home-working is not possible.

Staff who are pregnant

Pregnant women are considered ‘clinically vulnerable’ or in some cases ‘clinically

extremely vulnerable’ to coronavirus (COVID-19) and therefore require special

consideration as contained in government guides for different industries.

Employers should carry out a risk assessment to follow the Management of Health and

Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSW). This may involve obtaining advice from the

occupational health department. See the workplace risk assessment guidance for

healthcare workers and for vulnerable people working in other industries. Information

contained in the RCOG/RCM guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19) in pregnancy should

be used as the basis for a risk assessment.

Pregnant women of any gestation should not be required to continue working if this is not

supported by the risk assessment.

Women who are 28 weeks pregnant and beyond, or are pregnant and have an

underlying health condition that puts them at a greater risk of severe illness from COVID-

19 at any gestation, should take a more precautionary approach. Employers should

ensure pregnant women are able to adhere to any active national guidance on social

distancing and/or advice for pregnant women considered to be clinically extremely

vulnerable (this group may previously have been advised to shield).

More advice is available at advice for pregnant employees.

Risk assessments

As an employer, you have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to

their health and safety, including from the risks of COVID-19. You should complete a

suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace and identify

control measures to manage that risk. Employers have a duty to consult their employees

on health and safety matters.

Testing students using lateral flow devices (LFDs)

The government has worked closely with providers to support the roll-out of testing via

LFDs for all students. DfE will continue to support smaller HE providers in partnering with

neighbouring providers if they cannot provide their own asymptomatic test site. Individual

HE providers may choose to offer tests to students using different testing technologies.

How students should be tested

If providers are using LFDs, students should be tested twice in their first week of return –

immediately upon their return and then again three days later. Providers should offer

students twice weekly testing thereafter (until the end of March). Some providers may be

unable to provide twice weekly testing at this moment and once a week may be

appropriate where students only visit campus once a week. We will work with all HEIs to

implement practical solutions, including partnering them with other providers, where

appropriate.

While awaiting their result (typically it takes one hour), the student should not interact

with other students to avoid virus transmission.

If a student has recently (within 90 days) tested positive for COVID-19, they are likely to

have developed some immunity. If a student has had a positive coronavirus (COVID-19)

test in the last 90 days through NHS Test and Trace and been recorded as a positive

case on the national system, they do not need to be tested again within that time period if

they are asymptomatic. They are still required to self-isolate if they are identified as a

close contact of a positive case, even if this is within the 90 day window.

Negative result

If the first LFD test result upon return to the HE facility is negative, the student will not

need to self-isolate for ten days but they should limit their social contact and interaction

with other students until they receive a second negative LFD test result. This is to limit

the risk of transmission following the mass movement of students across the country.

Students should be encouraged to undertake two LFD tests three days apart upon their

return.

Students that test negative as part of the twice weekly testing programme should

continue to follow any national or regional tier restrictions, but they will not need to self-

isolate.

Positive test result

Upon notification of a positive LFD result, students are legally required to self-isolate for

ten days and contact tracing will be initiated. A confirmatory PCR test will not be requiredfor LFD tests taken at HE asymptomatic test sites. This is a temporary change to

procedures.

Supporting students who need to self-isolate

For those students who do need to self-isolate at university, HE providers are responsible

for ensuring their students are safe and well looked after during their self-isolation period.

Universities UK have also produced bespoke guidance for HE providers on how to

prepare for and care for students who are required to self-isolate on arrival in the UK. We

encourage providers to review this guidance when considering how best to support their

international and other students arriving from overseas

Travel guidance for students arriving from within the

Where students are resuming face to face teaching, or where they have other

exceptional reasons to return, travel to return to university counts as a “reasonable

excuse” for travel, including to and from the devolved administrations, subject to any local

rules in place within the devolved administrations. This includes family or others within

the household who travel with the student to transport them back to their term time

address. Students can travel by private vehicle or public transport but, to minimise the

risk of transmission to others when they travel, they should use private transport

wherever possible and only use public transport if they have no other option.

HE providers should advise students using private vehicles to:

● avoid car sharing with anyone outside their household or support bubble

● rigorously follow the safer travel guidance for passengers to reduce the risk of

transmission to others where this is not possible

They should advise students who cannot access private vehicles and need to use public

transport that they should:

● book their travel in advance

● rigorously follow the Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer travel guidance for

passengers

If students have already booked rail tickets to travel back to university, they can now re-

book wherever they bought the ticket without paying administration fees.

HE providers should also communicate travel guidance to all students, including how to

help reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) by:

● wearing a face covering unless exempt

● keeping their distance from people from other households when they travel, where

possible

● washing or sanitising their hands regularly

● avoiding the busiest routes, as well as busy times like the rush hour

● downloading the NHS COVID-19 app before they travel, if possible and checking

in where they see official NHS COVID-19 QR code posters

Further actions

HE providers should continue to work with local transport providers and ensure that they

are aware of providers’ plans. DfE will continue to work closely with the Department for

Transport to support HE providers.

New and returning students travelling from overseas

Our HE providers remain flexible and are ready to teach students either online or in

person this academic year.

Students are able to study online until in-person learning resumes. Our advice for

international students (including Erasmus+ and other exchange students) travelling from

overseas for the Spring term is to consider whether they in fact need to travel to the UK

at this time, particularly if their course does not require them to be on campus yet. Those

students should consider delaying if travel arrangements can be rearranged without

undue costs.

Before making travel plans, students intending to come to the UK to study should:

● check additional entry requirements and restrictions that have been introduced

due to coronavirus (COVID-19) before travelling to the UK

● check with their HE provider in advance to confirm when face-to-face teaching

begins

● check with their HE provider when they intend to arrive on campus so that they

can be appropriately supported

● inform their provider if they have already booked travel for dates outside of their

specified cohort date

HE providers should try to be as flexible as possible with international students travelling

to the UK from overseas. This is especially the case if students have already booked

travel before this guidance was issued and they are unable to rearrange via their travel

operator, or the cost of rearranging would be prohibitively high.

Arrival procedures for students travelling from overseas

Students must:

● check additional entry requirements and restrictions that have been introduced

due to coronavirus (COVID-19) before travelling to the UK

● ensure that prior to departing for England they have proof of a negative

coronavirus (COVID-19) test result taken within three days of departure

to your transport operator. More information on pre-departure testing is

available on gov.uk.

● complete a passenger locator form before arrival in the UK

● note that all UK travel corridors have been temporarily suspended to protect

against new international variants. This new measure will now require all

passengers to self-isolate for ten days on arrival. More information is available on

gov.uk.

Exiting self-isolation early:

● International arrivals have the option to reduce their self-isolation period by taking

a coronavirus (COVID-19) test from a private testing provider five full days after

arriving in England, with a negative result releasing them from the need to self-

isolate. Read the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Test to Release for international travel

guidance. Look at A list of providers of tests for Test to Release.

● The Test to Release scheme is not available to anyone who has been in or

through any country that is subject to a travel ban in the 10 days before arrival in

England.

● Students who have chosen to self-isolate for ten days instead of taking a private

Test to Release are not expected to take a further LFD test (administered by their

University) at the end of their self-isolation period when they return to campus.

● After following the correct arrivals procedure, students should follow instructions

on ongoing asymptomatic testing as set out by their HE provider.

If self-isolating, students should:

● only use public transport if they have no other option

● follow safer travel guidance for passengers

● only leave their accommodation in limited circumstances and follow guidance on

how to self-isolate when they travel to the UK (England only)

Further guidance on self-isolation for international students

We are working with the HE sector to ensure that all students are welcomed to the UK

and are supported on arrival by their chosen university. Universities UK has developed a

checklist for providers to support students who are required to self-isolate to use as a

guide in developing that support. This will be updated following the January return

measures. Further guidance is available on entering the UK.

Visas

International students considering study in the UK should be aware that visa concessions

for those on Tier 4 visas allow for the ongoing provision of online learning for the duration

of the academic year 2020/21. Many HE courses are being conducted online.

Government continues to keep further visa concessions under review.

Government has confirmed that international students studying by distance/blended

learning whose courses end in summer 2021 will be eligible to apply for the Graduate

route provided they are in the UK by 6 April 2021 to complete the final semester of their

studies in the UK, and meet the other requirements of the route. Students should check

additional entry requirements and restrictions that have been introduced due to COVID