Q&As for International & EU Students

Please carefully read the following UK and Welsh government quarantine information relevant to all travellers to the UK.

MyUniSupport is the single point of contact for all student Covid-19 related matters, providing information and support wherever you may currently be engaging with your studies. For more information on what MyUniSupport can assist you with please visit our webpages here.

Travelling to the UK

If you are intending to travel to the UK, you must take the following steps.

1. You must contact MyUniSupport@swansea.ac.uk to notify us that you intend to travel to the UK (and of any changes to your travel plans) so that we can provide you with current information and support.

2. You must carefully read the UK and Welsh Government information relating to quarantine requirements prior to your intended date of travel. Please be aware that this may be subject to change and you must follow regulations at the time of travel. Further information can be found at the following links: How to quarantine when you arrive in England - GOV.UK and How to self-isolate when you travel to Wales: coronavirus (COVID-19) | GOV.WALES

3. To help us ensure we can support you it is important that you update your current mode of study via your student intranet account. You can change your mode of study under the ‘Coronavirus’ tab to ‘online’ and select ‘I am quarantining’ as the reason for engaging online at this current time. Please contact us if you need further assistance.

4. Please remember that you must notify MyUniSupport if you have symptoms of or have tested positive for Covid-19; or if you are isolating or quarantining.

Red and Amber List Quarantine Regulations

Please be aware Wales does not currently operate a Test to Release scheme.

All travellers to the UK are currently subject to quarantine requirements. Further information can be found here.

Please ensure you check the current rating (red or amber) of the country from which you are travelling. Please also note, there are regulations around countries you may travel via in addition to your home country.

If you are travelling from or via a ‘red list’ country, you are required to book quarantine accommodation in a Government approved hotel for 10 days. Information of this will be received when booking your place here.

If you are travelling from or via an ‘amber list’ country, you are not required to quarantine in a Government approved hotel but must follow Government quarantine regulations either in your student or private accommodation. All individuals travelling to Wales from or via ‘amber list’ countries are required to isolate for 10 days and must pre-book a covid testing package prior to arriving in the UK. Further information can be found via this link.

General Advice

MyUniSupport will be in contact with further University specific information once you have notified us of your intention to travel to the UK. However, the following advice may be helpful in planning for your journey.

• Bring plenty of clean warm clothes to last the duration of your quarantine
• It would be a good idea to bring any comfort items you might want to access during your quarantine, including books and games
• Remember to bring your important electrical items (including a phone that you can use in the UK) and the relevant chargers and adapters
• Please bear in mind your current Sim card might not work in the UK
• If you are taking regular medication you will need to ensure you can access this during quarantine. You will be able to access medications online from Boots, Superdrug, Lloyds Pharmacy and some supermarkets, however this may take a few days to arrive.
• You will need access to a bankcard that you can use for online orders. If you have a non-UK bank, check that you can use your card in the UK and what the commission and limits might be.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

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 are arriving in the UK from overseas (unless from a country which is exempt from this requirement), you are required to spend 10 days in quarantine. This means you will not be able to leave the place you are staying for the first 10 days you are in the UK. This is because it can take up to 10 days for coronavirus symptoms to appear. When you arrive in the UK, you must go straight to the place you are staying to start your period of quarantine. 

You may also hear the term quarantine referred to as self-isolation. 

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. 

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 https://www.swansea.ac.uk/about-us/coronavirus/ for up-to-date guidance for Swansea University and contact the Go Global team if you have specific queries.