Indian students welcome changes to travel restrictions in England

India/Mumbai, 11th August 2021: Indian student organisations and English educators have warmly welcomed the news of changes to travel restrictions in England, which will remove the challenge of quarantine costs for Indian students entering England.

According to the UK government, from 4am BST on Sunday 8 August, India will move to the English Amber travel list, along with Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.

Karan Lalit, Regional Director for Study Group in India also welcomed the news:

“We are delighted that India has been moved to the UK’s amber travel list, as it eases the financial implications of studying at various international study centres like Teesside University ISC, Kingston University ISC, the University of Huddersfield ISC, Coventry University London ISC, and many more in the UK. Indian students can now focus on their studies and the fantastic employability opportunities Study Group has initiated for international learners, including ‘Job Ready’, which helps students earn while they learn and ‘Virtual Internships’ for workforce skills development.”

The changes mean if students have been in an amber list country (and have not been in or passed through a red list country or France) in the 10 days before arriving in England, and have been fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme:

* Students must book and take a COVID-19 travel test on or before day two after arrival in the UK (the arrival day is day 0).

* Students do not have to quarantine on arrival in a designated UK government quarantine hotel. Instead, they can quarantine at home or in the place they are staying and take tests.

* Note that if the day two test is positive, students will need to quarantine for 10 days, even if students are fully vaccinated, they will need to quarantine for 10 days if the day 2 test is positive.

As the British High Commission in India explains:

“Being on the amber list means that travellers arriving in England must quarantine at home or in the place they are staying and take tests. We are continuing to take steps to safely reopen international travel, based on the latest data and expert public health advice.”

The changes were warmly welcomed by Indian student organisations such as the National Indian Students Association (NISAU), the UK’s oldest and largest Indian student and alumni network, who praised “painstaking hard work and passionate advocacy” by student bodies and education providers as well as their supporters.

The changes were also welcomed by Dr Mark Cunnington, Chief Operating Officer in the UK and EU for leading international education provider Study Group. Study Group works with universities across the world, including Higher Education Institutions in England, to prepare international students for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees:

“This is very welcome news for students who were naturally concerned about travelling to England when this also meant a requirement to cover the costs associated with UK government organised quarantine. These changes will allow students from areas designated ‘Amber’ to be vaccinated in their home countries and then test and isolate – a significantly easier and less expensive process for students as they begin their higher education journey in England.”

The definition of “fully vaccinated” is having the final dose of an approved vaccine under the UK vaccination programme, or the UK vaccine programme overseas, at least 14 days before arrival in England. The day of the final dose of vaccine does not count as one of the 14 days.