The Home Office recently updated their visa guidance to say that new international students, and those returning to the UK who started their course in 2020, must be in the country by 27th September or lose their new post-study work rights.  

This risks a surge in demand for hotel quarantine system, as approximately 107,000 of our 560,000 international students in the UK, are from red list countries. While some will already be in the UK, many will be arriving for the first time or returning from their home countries following Covid-19 restrictions, potentially exceeding the hotel quarantine capacity. 

I’ve been working with my All-Party International Students’ Group Co-Chair, and CBI President, Lord Bilimoria to press Ministers to extend this date so that international students can start their courses through blended learning, using online tuition to allow staggered arrival in the UK.  

Our initiative, which will enable students to plan with more certainty and ensure they aren’t disadvantaged in the future due to the pandemic’s restrictions on travel, was reported today in the Financial Times. 

I highlighted that Ministers must make this change now without dithering, to allow students to plan effectively, without incurring additional expense with needless flight and accommodation changes.