International students FAQs

Before you travel, you must check the rules for the country you are coming from or will travel through. If you are coming from or travelling through a red list country, you will need to quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine facility. Click here to information on how to book and pay for a quarantine package.

It is more important than ever to open a bank account before you arrive in the UK.

The UK Government's list of countries from which travellers need to self-isolate or quarantine upon arrival could change shortly before your planned arrival date. We strongly recommend you arrange an international account or bank card to facilitate your self-isolation or quarantine period upon arrival, even if you currently are not required to do so.

In the UK many places accept card payments only, due to the pandemic. Therefore, you should arrange an international bank account or bank card to be able to make card or online payments for basic necessities, such as food shopping, takeaway meals, and paying tuition fees, when you arrive in the UK.

Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted in the UK - you should avoid bringing a large amount of cash with you as opening a UK bank account may take a little while, depending on which bank you choose.

There are two different scenarios that may apply to you:

Tier 4 visa holders needing to extend their visa to complete their course in the UK
If you hold a Tier 4 (General) visa and need to extend your visa to continue your course of study, please complete the CAS request form on the student portal.

Visa holders whose leave expires soon but cannot return home due to Covid-19 restrictions
You are expected to take all reasonable steps to leave the UK where it is possible to do so or regularise your stay in the UK.

If you intend to leave the UK but are not able to do so and your leave expires soon, you may request additional time to stay, also known as ‘exceptional assurance’. All details are available on a dedicated UK Government website.

The UKVI will make decisions on a case by case basis on the permitted engagements within the leave granted. Once your exceptional assurance leave is granted you may be allowed to apply for a different visa category. But please note you will not be able to apply for a short-term student visa from within the UK.

Government advice is that no charge is made to an overseas visitor for the diagnosis or treatment of coronavirus. All overseas visitors, including anyone living in the UK without permission, should be aware that:

• No charges apply to testing for Covid-19, even if the result is negative, or to any treatment provided for Covid-19 if the result is positive or up to the point that it is negatively diagnosed. The same is true of most other infectious diseases.
• NHS trusts have been advised that no immigration checks are required for overseas visitors that are known to be only undergoing testing or treatment for Covid-19.

Students with immigration and visa-related queries can contact the international support team by email: internationalsupport@solent.ac.uk.

In addition, the UK Council for International Students (UKISA) has created a frequently asked questions page, which contains information and guidance for international students.