Advice for international and European students

No, it will not: your visa will remain valid as long as you academically engage with your course remotely. Due to the current exceptional circumstances UKVI are allowing student sponsors to offer courses via distance learning to students with student visas.

No, it will not: your visa will remain valid as long as you academically engage with your course remotely. Please note that academic schools may still have an engagement monitoring system in place instead of a physical engagement book, please ensure you are aware of this system which vary depending on your course.

Due to the exceptional circumstances you are not required to attend your course in-person, or to get your attendance booklet completed. Provided you academically engage with your course remotely your attendance will be deemed satisfactory in terms of your visa. Please note that academic schools may still have an engagement monitoring system in place instead of a physical engagement book, please ensure you are aware of this system which vary depending on your course.

If your current student visa is valid for the duration of your course then you can use it to return to the UK when face-to-face teaching resumes without applying for a new visa.

If your visa is due to expire before you are due to come back to the UK, or soon afterwards, please seek further advice from the International Student Advisers.

Firstly, you must discuss this with your SSGT and Course Leader or Supervisor. If it is decided that you do intermit or suspend from your course then the university may have to advise the Home Office if the intermission/suspension is going to be more than 60 days, this depends on your reason for intermitting.

You should seek advice from the International Student Advice Service about your visa in this situation, as you may need to apply for a new visa when you return to study.

In certain circumstances, including if you are a non-visa national and you obtained permission to enter the UK as a Short-Term Student upon your arrival at the UK border, your leave (permission) to be in the UK will lapse (cancel itself) when you leave the UK. If you think this may be the case in your situation please contact us so we can advise you.

For other longer term visas your visa normally remains valid on your departure. However, depending on the reason for the visa it may not remain valid by the time you return to the UK, if for example you were working in the UK under Tier 2. Please also contact us directly so we can advise you.

This depends on the length of your absence, and your visa category. Please contact the International Student Advice Service for further advice.

Although the UK has left the EU, there is now a transitional period until 31 December 2020, during which time freedom of movement will continue as usual. Therefore, EU/EEA nationals will not need a visa to travel to the UK before this date.

In addition, as you have already been living in the UK prior to the end of the transitional period, you will be eligible to make an application under the EU Settlement Scheme, which means that even after the end of the transitional period you will not need a visa to return to the UK.

For further information on the scheme please see our Brexit advice pages.

Yes, you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, and you can apply even if you are not currently in the UK. Please note the deadline to apply under the scheme is 30 June 2021.

Please see our Brexit advice pages and seek advice if you need help applying under the scheme.

Absences of less than 6 months in any 12 month-period do not usually break continuous residence under the scheme. A single absence of over 6 months and up to 12 months may be accepted if there are special circumstances.

If this may apply to you, please contact the International Student Advice Service for further advice.

If you are a new EU/EEA/Swiss student and staring course remotely, please contact the International Student Advice Service for further advice as you will need to travel to the UK before 31 December 2020 to be eligible to apply under the EU settlement scheme.

Even though you will not be able to attend classes in person your visa will remain valid as long as you academically engage with your course remotely. Please note that academic schools may still have an engagement monitoring system in place instead of a physical engagement book, please ensure you are aware of this system which vary depending on your course.

Due to the exceptional circumstances you are not required to attend your course in-person, or to get your attendance booklet completed. Provided you academically engage with your course remotely your attendance will be deemed satisfactory in terms of your visa. Please note that academic schools may still have an engagement monitoring system in place instead of a physical engagement book, please ensure you are aware of this system which vary depending on your course.

If you need to extend your visa to complete your course, to undertake a new course or for another reason (eg. Work), please see our advice pages in the first instance and contact the International Student Advisers if you need further advice about extending your visa.

If you have completed your course, and you are unable to leave the UK before your visa expires, please note the following:

If you had a visa that expired between 24 January 2020 and 31 July 2020 you were able to request an extension if you were not able to return home because of travel restrictions or self-isolation related to coronavirus.

Additionally, if you had leave which expired between 24 January and 31 August 2020, including those who received an extension between this period, you were able to take advantage of a grace period between 1 August to 31 August 2020. The conditions of your stay in the UK were the same as the conditions of your leave. If conditions allowed you to work, study or rent accommodation you were able to continue doing so during August 2020.

Now travel restrictions are lifting globally you will no longer be able to extend your visa on this basis and you are expected to take all reasonable steps to leave the UK where it is possible to do so or apply to regularise your stay in the UK.

If you intend to leave the UK but have not been able to do so and you have a visa or leave that expires between 1 September and 31 October 2020 you may request additional time to stay, also known as ‘exceptional assurance’. See further information on the gov.uk website.

If your visa expires after 31 October, and you cannot leave the UK due to COVID-19, please contact the International Student Advisers.