Information for all International Students – UPDATE: 15/12/2021

For students with programmes based at the Birmingham Campus

In our last update to our International Student community in November, we confirmed our expectation that all students should be present in Birmingham for teaching in Semester 2 - commencing 31 January 2022.

Many of our international students are already here in the UK and some of you will be travelling home during the Christmas vacation period. We recognise that these are difficult times in which to travel internationally, and have balanced this carefully with the importance of an in-person, on-campus education experience.

In our most recent message to all students, we confirmed that we do expect in-person teaching, learning and assessment to resume in January 2022. The UK Government has prioritised education to be accessible in-person in all education settings from nursery schools to universities and we are committed to providing this.

Travel to the UK (England)

The UK Government has reintroduced some additional requirements for all international travel to England. The most up to date advice is available here.

There are different requirements depending on if you qualify as “fully vaccinated” (or not) or if you are traveling from a country that is designated as being on the “red list of countries”.

As this advice can change, it is important to check the websites regularly. In addition, there is further good advice available here from the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).

Support from the University on arrival

We are looking forward to welcoming students to Birmingham in January with a Semester 2 arrival package including self-isolation support for any students booked into University-operated accommodation, and special welcome events as part of our UoBe Festival Week. All international students are entitled to a free Covid-19 vaccination, via the UK National Health Service (NHS) after arrival into the UK, if not already fully vaccinated.

Key Dates:

UoBe Festival Week - including a special ‘Semester 2 Welcome!’ Begins on Monday 24 January 2022.
Semester 2 teaching begins on Monday 31 January 2022 – all students are expected to have arrived before this date to engage with scheduled teaching and learning activity.

Applying to continue to study online in Semester 2

(This section does not apply to any students studying with the Birmingham International Academy, BIA)

If you are unable to arrive in the UK for January 2022 owing to exceptional reasons, then we will consider an application to continue to study online for the remainder of Semester 2 (including the period of assessment and examinations).

You should note that any decision not to travel to the UK may affect any application for a Graduate Visa – more information is available here.

This option is not available to all students on all courses: some courses require in-person attendance to meet essential learning objectives; to acquire practical skills or professional accreditation requirements; or for assessment and examinations.

If your course cannot support continued online study, then you should already be aware that you must be in attendance for the start of Semester 2 teaching.

To apply for continued online study for the remainder of Semester 2 you must complete our online form available here by no later than Monday 10 January 2022.

You will be required to confirm one of two accepted exceptional reasons:

International travel restrictions that prevent you from travelling to or studying from the UK.
A health or medical condition that prevents you from travel to or studying from the UK. (You may be asked to provide further evidence of this.)

In any other circumstances all students have the option to apply for a Leave of Absence.

The ongoing international disruption caused by the global coronavirus pandemic is a shared concern for us all. Throughout Semester One, in Birmingham, we have seen very low numbers of positive cases on campus, thanks to good availability and uptake of the vaccination and continued careful measures on campus to reduce transmission. While we do understand the concerns about travel to the UK, we would like to reassure you that we are following all of the UK Government guidance and are prioritising and supporting the continuation of in-person teaching and learning in a safe environment.

Wherever you are we would also like to take this opportunity to send you and your families and all of our friends around the world our very best wishes for the holiday season – and we look forward to seeing you in 2022.