- Ukrainian students in the UK: Under current government guidance, if a student is aged 18 or over and their course is at degree level, they are allowed to stay in the UK for up to 5 years. For courses below degree level, students can stay in the UK for two years. The Home Office has now announced that Ukrainian students will not have to return home if their visas run out. The Home Office has also announced visa concessions for the family members of Ukrainian students to come to the UK. 2020/21 data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows that there were 870 Ukrainians studying in UK universities. The number of Ukrainian students in FE colleges is unknown but the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that colleges can use their 16-19 bursary fund and Adult Education Budget (AEB) allocations to support any Ukrainian FE students they may have who are facing financial hardship. On 1 March, the Association of Colleges (AoC) published an update for colleges providing advice on this and other relevant matters.
