Q&As for International & EU Students

On 10 August 2021, the Welsh Government announced changes to the Student Protect policy, which aims to ensure that international students or those travelling from Amber list countries can isolate safely within their accommodation (private or University owned) for the required period when arriving in Wales.

All students arriving from or via Amber list countries (returning and newly arriving travellers) must carefully read the information provided by the Welsh Government and notify myunisupport@swansea.ac.uk ahead of travelling to the UK.

Further information and support that the University can provide to you during your period of isolation will be sent to you once you have made us aware of your arrival date. This will include:

o UK and Welsh Government regulatory information
o How best to prepare for you period of isolation ahead of travelling to the UK
o Support that is available to you from the University during your period of isolation
o Catering and grocery options
o Covid-19 testing
o Covid-19 vaccines
o Medical services such as GP registrations and prescriptions

Students arriving from Red list countries must follow UK Government regulations and stay in an approved quarantine hotel upon arrival to the UK and before travelling to Wales. Rules for foreign travel to and from Wales.

Please be aware that you may be subject to enforcement action if you don’t comply with the legal requirement to self-isolate upon arrival to the UK.

If you are due to travel to the UK from or via an Amber list country over the coming weeks or months, you must notify myunisupport@swansea.ac.uk immediately.

You will then be contacted by the team to establish the details of your travel arrangements and provided with some helpful information for your self-isolation period and about the revised Student Protect policy.

Please ensure that you carefully read and follow the current Welsh Government regulations relating to requirements for travel from or via an Amber list country.

Please be aware that you may be subject to enforcement and disciplinary action if you don’t comply with the legal requirement to self-isolate upon arrival to the UK.

Students arriving into England from a Red list country must follow UK Government regulations and stay in an approved quarantine hotel upon arrival to the UK and before travelling to Wales. Further information about how to make these arrangements can be found on the Welsh Government website.

Please be aware that you may be subject to enforcement action if you don’t comply with the legal requirement to self-isolate upon arrival to the UK.

For new or returning students arriving from a red list country for the start of the 2021/2022 academic year, Swansea University will reimburse the cost of the legally required 10-day hotel quarantine stay so long as you meet the eligibility criteria.

Details on how to make a booking for a red list government-managed hotel can be found at the Government website.

Further information detailing which countries are currently on the red list rules for entering the UK can be found on the Gov.UK website.

You will need to book and pay for your quarantine package in advance. The University will only reimburse you after you have completed your quarantine period.

This fund is limited and subject to change in response to availability of the fund and the regulations governing quarantine, therefore the terms and conditions of this offer are subject to change.

Criteria for reimbursement of quarantine costs:

Please read the following information carefully to ensure you meet the criteria for the reimbursement of your red list quarantine isolation costs:

• My permanent home is in a red list country, and I will be travelling to the UK from this country
• I am paying overseas tuition fees
• My 10-day quarantine period ends on or after 1 August 2021
• I am travelling to engage in my programme of study at Swansea University for the 2021/2022 Academic Year
• My expected course end date is later than1st October 2021
• I understand that only current Swansea University students may apply. No family members or dependents can access this reimbursement.

How to apply for reimbursement

If you meet these criteria, please take the following steps to apply for the reimbursement after you have completed your quarantine period.

1. Complete the red list quarantine period
2. Enrol on your programme of study for the academic year 2021/22
3. Provide your UK bank details on your intranet account. This can only be done once you have enrolled on your course and using a computer on campus, owing to security reasons.
4. Provide confirmation that you have completed steps 1 – 3, along with a copy of your receipt or invoice showing your quarantine dates, to myunisupport@swansea.ac.uk

Once you have met the criteria above and completed the required steps, you will be sent a link to a survey to provide further information, alongside the terms and conditions of the payment which you must sign before your application can be processed.

Once all information is submitted and verified as being correct, payment is expected to be made within 28 days to your UK bank account.

If you are due to travel to the UK from a Red list country over the coming weeks or months, you must notify myunisupport@swansea.ac.uk immediately. You will then be contacted by the team to establish the details of your travel arrangements and to provide some helpful information regarding the reimbursement of red list quarantine costs.

Please contact myunisupport@swansea.ac.uk if you have any questions regarding this or any other Covid-19 related matter.

You must self-isolate for a period of 10 days and follow the advice and guidance provided by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). 

The University will support you during quarantine, with regular communication and guidance and advice about food, wellbeing, how to access services and facilities and some online activities that you can engage in. 

We continue to recognise that it might be difficult for you to get to Swansea due to travel restrictions or covid-related issues. The recent change to UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) regulations means that if you are unable to travel to the UK by the start of term, you can enrol and engage with your programme online and then join us as soon as you are able to. Once you arrive you will then move to in-person learning and teaching or research.

You must arrive by April 6th 2022 under the regulations, but we very much hope that you will be able to join us much sooner to allow you to participate in all that we have to offer at the University in-person.

There are a small number of Chemistry and Engineering programmes where it is not possible to engage online for more than a few weeks. Professional programmes in Medicine and Nursing will require you to be here in-person from the programme start date. Please also remember that you may need to include a quarantine period of 10 days into your schedule prior to your in-person start. You are advised to contact your School for confirmation if you are unsure if you can start your programme online or not.

If you already have a Tier 4 visa to cover you for the entirety of your course, then you should just be able to use this same visa to come to the UK- even if you are delayed and arrive after the start of term. You will not need to take any action except for staying in touch with the University about your proposed arrival date.

If you are a Tier 4 student who does not have enough time on their visa to complete their course, you should make a visa application for the correct length visa before you travel to the UK. You should make this application 6-12 weeks before your proposed travel date using the University’s Applying for a Tier 4 visa from overseas guidance.

The UK government has published new guidance on immigration provisions made by the Home Office for individuals in the UK who are affected by COVID-19. Some of these concessions are outlined on our UKVI COVID concessions page to help you.

If you are currently in the UK and will need a new visa to continue, change or start a course in 2020 please contact International@CampusLife, so they can work with you to ensure that you are taking the correct action to keep you safe and legal in the UK.

If you require further information please see the University’s EU/EEA/Swiss student web pages.

Please let us know if you have returned to your home country – contact myunisupport@swansea.ac.uk

Students planning to go abroad in Semester 2 of 2020/21 or during the academic year 2021/22 should continue with their applications, however we would advise against making any financial commitments in relation to your placement at this time.

We will continue to work closely with colleges, partner universities and students during this time to keep you updated and informed. Visit this page for up-to-date guidance for Swansea University and contact the Go Global team if you have specific queries.