BSA update:

Dear Colleagues,

BSA continues to lobby on behalf of members to improve COVID travel restrictions and issues for boarders. 

We have received the following updates from the English and Welsh education departments and as soon as we have further updates we will issue an alert.

England

Thank you for making us aware of various issues being experienced by pupils seeking travel to the UK – we realise that this is a critical point with pupils preparing to travel. We’ve engaged colleagues from DHSC, Home Office/Border Force, and DfT today to try to close off issues and bring as much clarity as we can. In summary, here are the latest developments:

Entry to the UK on a visitor visa

• Regarding your query below about pupils studying for up to 6 months on a visitor visa, we have received confirmation from the Home Office that there are no restrictions on the entry of any types of visitors if they are coming from amber (or green) countries. Therefore a schoolchild attending a boarding school as a visitor arriving from an amber country simply needs to satisfy the Border Force Officer on arrival that they are a genuine visitor under the rules as usual.

• This is not the position in relation to red list country arrivals; the UK is currently not accepting visitors from red list countries. The position remains that the only visitor visa applications being approved from red list countries are those where the applicant has an exceptional case for travelling to the UK and similarly non-visa national visitors from red list countries are only being granted permission to enter in exceptional cases. Therefore, under the current position, Border Force would not grant a visitor visa to a child coming to study here from a red list country nor grant a child visitor entry on arrival from a red list country as they would not have an exceptional case for entry.
• In summary:
  • A child from a red list country seeking to enter to study on a visitor visa should be advised not to travel.
  • A child from an amber (or green) country seeking to study on a visitor visa can travel and seek entry from a Border Force Officer as usual.

Cathay Pacific pupil denied travel

• We have provided your example about Cathay Pacific turning a Chinese pupil away to the DfT and requested that they communicate the latest position on quarantine and testing for boarding school pupils to airlines and stakeholders.

Wales

You may be aware that pupils from countries on the red list had been unable to travel to their boarding school in Wales because until they were amended, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020 did not permit a person arriving in England from a red list country to travel through England for the purpose of receiving education at a boarding school in Wales.

The Welsh Government has been working with colleagues in the UK government to make the amendment since April. You will note from the email exert below, that we have finally received confirmation that the England travel regulations have now been amended as requested.

Here is the link to the updated legislation: The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) (No. 8) Regulations 2021 (legislation.gov.uk)

Now that the regulations have been amended we are working with colleagues in the UK government to tie in the English and Welsh guidance.

We hope to forward the final Welsh guidance to send to boarding schools shortly.

Please be assured that the Welsh Government is doing everything it can to ensure that students attending boarding schools in Wales are not disadvantaged. However, you will appreciate that the amendment to the England regulations needed to be done by the UK government, and the timing for this was outside our control.

Update on Student and Child Student Visas

We would remind member schools that the Visitor Visa is not meant to be used as an alternative to the Student Visa and Child Student Visa in the event of a delay in receiving this. Any such advice might threaten a school’s sponsorship status and additionally, border control could reject entry due to the application data already being in the system. Where any delay in receiving the Student Visa and Child Student Visa seems unreasonable, please let us know and we will convey specific issues to the Home Office. 

Afghanistan

Members will be aware of the recent developments in Afghanistan. If your school is doing anything to support the community in the UK or in Afghanistan itself, including offering places to pupils, do let BSA know via bsa@boarding.org.uk. 

Best wishes,

The BSA Team
bsa@boarding.org.uk