International student news and updates
Summary of important immigration news and changes affecting international students

This information will be updated monthly with news and updates for international students.
Any questions, please contact the ISA team:
We are also available for in-person sessions at the Student Hub in the Charles Seale-Hayne Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 09:30–10:30 (no need to book).
On 29 March, the UK Government published legislation that brings into force three schemes to support Ukrainian nationals and their families:
Full details on the Ukraine immigration schemes can be found on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website. The University ISA team is unable to offer specific advice on these schemes but will certainly try to guide and support you.
If you are affected by the events in Ukraine, the University is here for you. The Pastoral and Spiritual Centre is open every day and anyone can drop in for support or a quiet space to reflect. A dedicated Ukraine-Russia war support space will be held for any students or staff affected by the events in Ukraine. This will be available every Thursday morning from 10:30–12:00. You can find the Pastoral and Spiritual Support Centre at 1 Kirkby Terrace (opposite the Jame Street Vaults pub). Free hot and cold drinks will be available.
There is also a dedicated Ukraine-Russia war
SharePoint support page for staff and students outlining how you can access
support if you have been impacted by events in Ukraine. You can also
find out how you can donate and support those impacted via this page.
Recognising the terrible world events currently happening, students are reminded that the University’s Pastoral and Spiritual Support team is here to support anyone directly or indirectly affected. The campus address is: Pastoral and Spiritual Support Building, 1 Kirkby Terrace, Plymouth. Read more information, including how to contact wellbeing services if you need them.
Pastoral and Spiritual Support will be holding a vigil and prayers for peace in the Students’ Union from 1–1.30pm this Thursday 3 March. Everyone is welcome to join us.
All remaining legal Covid restrictions have been removed in England, nearly two years after the first rules were introduced.
While you’re no longer required by law to self-isolate if you have COVID-19, you should still stay at home and avoid contact with other people. This helps reduce the chance of passing COVID-19 on to others.
More guidance is on the NHS webpages.
Dear International Student,
Why not join our fabulous Hello Project?
Meet a more experienced student buddy to help you make new friends and settle into life at the University of Plymouth.
- Sign up
- Contact us for more information
- Watch and listen to students’ experiences of the Hello Project
We look forward to hearing from you!
From the English Language Centre
The Hello Project
Fully vaccinated – from 11 February
If you qualify as fully vaccinated for travel to England, you:
Check if you can follow the rules for people who are fully vaccinated
Not fully vaccinated – from 11 February
If you do not qualify as fully vaccinated for travel to England, you will need to:
You will need to book the PCR test before you travel.
You will not need to quarantine, unless the result of the PCR test is positive.
As always, check this Government webpage Travel to England from another country during coronavirus (COVID-19) for the most up to date information.
We have received some reports of a Chinese website https://www.easytransfer.com.cn/ that has been used by students to send payments for tuition fees, deposits etc. The site takes a commission fee from the payment, which means full payment is not made to the organisation, leading to students having to pay more when they arrive. DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE. Students should use our authorised payment pathway, which is detailed on the paying-your-fees website.
From 1 January 2022, EU and Swiss full-time students studying in the UK may be eligible for a reimbursement of the immigration health surcharge (IHS) if all of the following are true:
Are you thinking about working in the UK after you have successfully completed your degree at the University of Plymouth? Do you want to find out more about the Graduate Visa?
If yes, we are running online information sessions which are bookable on My Career through the following links:
‘International Students: Let’s talk about the Graduate Visa’
Zoom session
Friday 17th June 11:00-12:00
Register for free
Join Zoom Meeting
‘International Students: Let’s talk about the Graduate Visa’
Zoom session
Thursday 14th July 11:00-12:00
Register for free
Join Zoom Meeting
The Pastoral and Spiritual Support team offers
support for the whole University community, whether you think of
yourself as spiritual, religious, a person of faith or of no faith at
all. We are now open every weekday from 10:00–16:00 and have regular pastoral and spiritual support events taking place during the semester.
The English Language Centre provides a range of free classroom activities and online resources for students whose first language is not English. These include workshops and tutorials and a wide range of self-study resources and courses.
Visit our DLE site for more information
You can also contact the team at: elc@plymouth.ac.uk.
Review your experience as an international student at the University of Plymouth, and be in with a chance of winning a £2,000 voucher!
For more information, and to fill in the survey, please visit www.whatuni.com/reviews
Starting University can be a difficult time, especially if you are new to living in the UK. Global Buddies is a group for international students that provides a chance to meet other international students and make social connections.
The group discusses things like life in the UK, stories of people's home countries, university life and how to address any difficulties international students may be facing. The group is facilitated by three of our doctoral students who are excited to meet you all.
We meet every Wednesday from 15:30–17:00 in the Pastoral and Spiritual Support Centre, 1 Kirkby Terrace.
The University has decided to re-design and harmonise existing processes to deliver a simple, flexible student experience and transform the student journey.
In order for us to achieve this, we need your feedback.
Our current Student Records System (SRS) covers recruitment and enquiries; admissions; enrolment; module selection; timetabling; curriculum; student administration; learning and assessment; progression; student awards; graduation; and finance.
We would really appreciate just 10 minutes of your time to complete the SRS Project Student Survey.
IT Development and Product Delivery
Student Record Systems
University of Plymouth
The University's Community Police Officer will be running a series of Coffee with Cops sessions when students, staff or members of the community are welcome to sit and chat with them. Have a coffee and chat with no pressure or agendas and get some advice with a cop from Devon & Cornwall Police at the University's Reservoir Cafe.
The clocks change on the last Sunday of March, moving forward by one hour. There may still be a chill in the air but this marks the beginning of British Summer Time (BST). In 2022 the clocks go forward on 27 March 2022 at 1am so you will have 1 hour less sleep!
Experienced English language practitioners from the English Language Centre will be joining the Writing Café this semester (starting Monday 31 January).
They will be able to provide writing guidance tailored specifically for non-native English speakers.
The Writing Café takes place in The Library Café, located on the 1st floor of the Charles Seale-Hayne Library
Or you can join online: Join the Digital Writing Café
Do you want to boost or develop your leadership skills, whilst increasing your employability?
We are offering a free 4-hour leadership workshop from Beyond Equality, an organisation leading the way in creating positive cultural change at universities.
The workshops explore boundaries & communication, consent culture, inclusion & belonging and support & report.
Certificate provided on completion of the course.
Sign up via the Eventbrite link but be quick as spaces are limited!
The Lunar New Year begins on Tuesday 1 February 2022 and ends with the Lantern Festival on 15 February 2022. Travellers should be aware of the risk of avian flu when travelling to China during the annual festival. Please see the latest government guidance.
Our University Sexual Violence Prevention Officers are employed as part of a three month project of work to prevent sexual violence, misconduct and harassment at the University funded by the Home Office Safer Streets 3 Fund. The first part of the project is researching student views and experience of sexual violence whilst at university. We'd hugely appreciate it if you could complete this voluntary and anonymous survey, it only takes around 10 minutes. Complete the survey.
By completing the survey students have a chance to win 1 of 5 £20 eat and drink on campus vouchers. You can also get involved by taking part in focus groups and one to one interviews by emailing the project team.
We will be closed for the winter break from 24 December 2021 and will be open again on Tuesday 4 January 2022. Have a look at our Winter break activities and support to find information on how to get support if needed or to find something whilst the university is closed. We wish you a relaxed and happy holiday!
From your International Student Advice (ISA) team
Nina, Cath and Anthony.
Welcome to 2022! We hope you had a good winter break.
Are you planning to travel to the UK in January 2022?
Our International Student Information Day will take place on Thursday 27 January 2022.
Register on Eventbrite and come along to learn more about what you should do during your first few days at University.
Are you planning to arrive at another time and will miss the official welcome day? Do not worry. Please take a look at our 10 important things to do after you arrive in the UK to study.
If you are planning to travel to the UK, the rules have changed again so please refer to the UK Government website for the most up to date information: Travel to England from another country during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Arriving as a new student in 2022?
Arriving in the UK for the first time after starting studying online from overseas?
Welcome to the University of Plymouth!
We hope your journey was good and you are well rested.
We realise this may be an overwhelming time for you with mixed emotions. Maybe you are excited, worried, feeling lost, don’t know what to do next? Do not worry, we aim to help with any questions you have to make your life and studies a happy time in Plymouth.
What to do next?
Have a look at 10 important things to do after you arrive in the UK to study
This checklist will guide you on what to do and where to go.
If you have any questions or need extra support, the Student Hub team have dedicated advisers to help you. No issue is too big and no question is too small!
You can contact them:
We look forward to meeting you!
Attention all EU, EEA and Swiss citizens students! There is less than one month to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) – the deadline is 30 June 2021.
Important: Do you have a UK permanent residence card? If yes but you do not have EU pre-settled/settled status yet, your card will only be valid until 30 June 2021.
After 30 June 2021, you’ll be able to use your card only once to travel to and enter the UK. To remain in the UK you’ll need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme within 28 days but we suggest you apply as soon as possible.
Have you already applied for the EU Settlement Scheme?
If you have, that’s great news! You can continue your studies as planned.
If you have not applied for the EU Settlement Scheme but you were resident (living) in the UK before 31 December 2020:
This is also good news. As long as you arrived in the UK before 23.00 on 31 December 2020, you will have until 30 June 2021 to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. You can continue your studies in the UK as planned. However, if you have been absent from the UK for more than 6 months, you may not be able to apply.
Come along to one of our June EU Settlement Scheme Zoom sessions to learn about the EUSS and ask questions to an advisor. If you cannot make a EUSS session, you can contact our team in other ways:
Email studentservices@plymouth.ac.uk (we aim to respond to your email within three working days)
Before you leave for the UK you’ll need to:
Find out more about what you’ll need to do before you leave for the UK because of COVID-19. From 17 May, the rules for people arriving in England from abroad are changing. What you need to do depends on where you have been in the 10 days before you arrive. If you have been in a country or territory on the:
You must follow these rules even if you have been vaccinated. Find out what list the country you’ve been in is on and what you need to do.
Until 17 May, you must follow the current testing and quarantine rules. Please make sure to keep checking the links as the guidance could change. Countries on the watch list could move into a different list at short notice.
We have now received more clarification on the Graduate immigration route which will provide international students with the opportunity to stay in the UK to live and work, or to look for work after they graduate.
The main points are:
We are still waiting for full information on the scheme and will update this page as soon as there are further details.
Before students think about travelling to the UK, the first step is for a student to talk to their education provider about what date in-person learning will start for their course.
The following information is from England's Department for Education issued on 3 March 2021.
Before arriving, students should:
British or Irish nationals, or third country nationals with residence rights in the UK, who have been in or passed through a red-list country in the 10 days before their arrival will need to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel, unless they are exempt. Third country nationals with residence rights include those with student entry clearance (i.e. Student/Tier 4 visas), those with EUSS leave, and those with biometric residence permits, among others. If an individual does not have residence rights, they cannot travel to the UK if they’ve visited or passed through a ‘red-list country’ in the last 10 days. Even those who have not been in or through a ‘red list’ country will need to quarantine in their own accommodation for 10 days if they are travelling to the UK, unless they ‘test to release’ and receive a negative test result
Travel advice may change while individuals are overseas. Everyone intending to travel to the UK is advised to regularly check all relevant guidance pages for www.gov.uk/coronavirus for updates.
If you decide to travel to the UK, please read the following summary of the latest guidance. Please ensure you also check the UK Government COVID-19 webpages for the latest information which can change on a daily basis.