We understand that this is a very distressing time for a lot of people, with advice and information changing on a daily basis. We understand that this has been a particularly challenging time for our international students so I wanted to reassure you that myself and the rest of your elected officers are doing what we can to fight for the best possible outcomes for our students.  We are attending meetings on a daily basis with the university to ensure that your voices are represented.

In its latest communication with students, the government has advised that anyone still at University should stay where they are and not attempt to travel. The University has repeated this advice on its coronavirus FAQs page so we wanted to take a closer look at what this means for our international students.

The government advice doesn't specifically mention international students and currently the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising against all but essential travel.

If you're an international student still in Manchester but you want to travel home, the government's checklist for travel is essential reading. It's also important to be aware that travelling abroad is becoming more difficult as airlines shut down and countries close their borders.

Travel bans may be relaxed for nationals and residents wanting to return home but we'd recommend double checking. The best place to look for up to date information on travel restrictions is the embassy of the country you’re travelling to. If entry isn't restricted you may still need to be prepared to stay in quarantine or self-isolate on your arrival.

If travelling home means that you won't be able to access online learning until you arrive at your home overseas, think about applying for mitigating circumstances to cover the disruption. You can use mitigating circumstances to ask for an extension to any coursework deadlines that may be affected by your travel.

In most cases we understand that leaving Manchester before the end of the academic year due to the corona virus won't affect tier 4 visas. The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has more information on this and they've put together a comprehensive list of FAQs that are coming up for international students across the UK. If you have left the UK, we recommend staying in touch with your department so that they know you are safe.

For any international students who are still in Manchester and worried about their visa expiring, the Home Office has confirmed that it's possible to apply for an extension up to 31st May 2020. Details of how to request an extension are available here.

Our own Advice Service here at the Students' Union is unable to give immigration advice but more information for international students is available in the University's coronavirus FAQs. The University's dedicated Student Immigration Team are also available to help with any complex individual enquiries. You may find the answers to your questions on their microsite but if you're feeling worried or unsure you can e-mail the team on visa@manchester.ac.uk. Make sure you include your full name and student ID as well as a summary of your enquiry.

For advice in relation to other areas of your studies such as academic issues, housing, finance or wellbeing our Advice Service is available both in and out of term time to answer any questions. The team are working remotely and can be contacted on advice.su@manchester.ac.uk.

Since we've all become more physically distant, as a Students' Union we want to make sure that all our students still feel connected and have somewhere to stay in touch. We've set up the Manchester Students' Community Group on Facebook to create a space for students to chat, share ideas and positive messages and come together at this time, no matter where they are in the world. We'd love to hear from you and we'll be keeping the group updated with activities to help you stay connected.