Support & Immigration Advice

All students have access to the Health and Wellbeing Centre which is located in Milton House, 41 Ruff Lane, a short walk from the main University campus. Opening times are 8.30am – 5.00pm, Monday – Friday during term time for staff and students.

International students and their spouses/families who are in the UK for more than six months can obtain treatment from the British National Health Service (NHS), provided they did not come to Britain with the aim of receiving medical treatment.

If you fall into this category, you can receive free treatment in NHS hospitals and register with a doctor (GP). To register with a doctor you should contact the Health and Wellbeing centre at Edge Hill as students will usually register with the doctor on campus. Those who wish to register with a doctor close to where they live should check the NHS direct website to find a local doctor: NHS Direct

International students and their families who are here for less than six months and who are not EEA nationals or do not come from a country with a reciprocal health care agreement may only be entitled to emergency NHS treatment.

If you are here for less than six months, you should not register with a GP unless the need to see a doctor arises. If this happens, then you should make an appointment and complete a temporary residence form.

Students from the European Economic Area (EEA) or from a country with a reciprocal heath care agreement can receive NHS treatment however long they are living and studying in the UK. You should, however, complete form E128 in your home country if you are here to study for less than six months in order to be entitled to full NHS treatment.

The UK has a reciprocal health care agreement with the following countries:

• Countries in the European Economic Area (EEA)
• Anguilla
• Australia
• Barbados
• British Virgin Islands
• Bulgaria
• Channel Islands (if staying for less than three months)
• Czech and Slovak Republic
• Falkland Islands
• Gibraltar
• Hungary
• Isle of Man
• Malta (up to 30 days’ stay)
• Montserrat
• New Zealand
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia
• St Helena
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• Former Soviet Union states (except Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia)
• All the countries of the former Yugoslavia

Please note: Reciprocal health care agreements generally cover hospital treatment for a condition that arises during your stay, but does not always cover treatment of an existing condition. Please check with the health authorities in your home country before travelling to the UK.

For further information about keeping healthy, visit the UKCISA website.

If you are going to be in the UK for more than a few months, you will probably wish to open a bank account.

We advise you to speak to your bank in your home country before leaving for the UK and ask their advice on what to do. They will be able to tell you how long it will take to transfer money from your home bank account to a UK account and whether they currently have any agreements in place with any UK banks, to make setting up an account easier.

You will only be able to open your UK bank account once you have received an official certificate of registration from Edge Hill, after you have enrolled on your course.

As this can take up to two weeks, we advise that you make sure you have enough travellers’ cheques to last this length of time before you leave home. Travellers’ cheques are a much better option than large sums of cash, as money is easily lost and can sometimes be stolen.

To open your UK bank account you will need:

• Your passport
• Enrolment letter (you are given this at the time of enrolment )
• Letter of reference from your bank at home (not all banks require this)
• Offer/acceptance letter from Edge Hill (not all banks require this)

It is worth noting that unless you satisfy the three-year residency criteria to open a student account, international students will normally only be able to open a basic account that has no overdraft facility.

Further information on opening and running a bank account in the UK can be found on the UKCISA website.

It doesn’t matter how long you are staying in UK, you want your visit here to be a safe and enjoyable one.

By international standards, the UK is a safe country, with low levels of violence and street crime, and most international students here encounter no issues at all.

However, it is essential that you are aware of any potential dangers or possible problems. By taking account of some common sense advice, you can make yourself safer and protect your family, accommodation and belongings.

The British Council has produced a Comprehensive Safety Guide [PDF] for international students in the UK detailing safety issues and giving help on how to protect your safety whilst here this guide contains excellent information that you should find useful.

When you first arrive in the UK, if you are going to be here for longer than six months you must check the immigration stamp in your passport to see if you need to register with the police.

It is likely that you will need to register if you are from one of these countries:

• Afghanistan
• Algeria
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Belarus
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• China
• Columbia
• Cuba
• Egypt
• Georgia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Moldova
• Morocco
• North Korea
• Oman
• Palestine
• Peru
• Qatar
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Sudan
• Syria
• Tajikistan
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• UAE
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan
• Yemen

If you need to register, you must do so within seven days of your arrival and you will need your passport, two passport-sized photos and the registration fee of £34.

You must also inform the local police station every time you obtain an extension to your Leave to Enter/Remain in the UK and each time you change address. There is no fee for informing the police of these changes.

Tel:

Email:

In the UK, each TV requires a TV Licence. So, whether you are staying in halls of residence, in a shared house or with family, if you have a TV of your own you will need to obtain a licence for it.

The annual TV Licence currently costs £145.50 per year and you can pay by credit/debit card, by direct debit (12 monthly payments), over the counter at a post office, by using a TV Licensing savings card or via post.

For more information, visit the TV Licensing website.

Moving

If you move address, you must transfer your TV Licence to your new address. You can do this by calling 0300 790 6072, or by visiting:

www.tvlicensing.co.uk/moving

Licence refunds

If you do not plan to stay at Edge Hill over the summer and do not need your TV Licence again before it expires, you may be entitled to a refund of any unused quarters (three full calendar months). So, if you bought your licence in October and do not need it in July, August and September of the following year, you could be eligible for a refund.

Most residents in the UK need to pay council tax, to contribute to local services such as rubbish collections, the police and fire services.

How much you have to pay is decided by the value of a private property but, as a student, you may be exempt from the charges. If you live in private accommodation, then you are exempt from paying Council Tax:

• If you and everyone else living at the property are full-time students on a course lasting 12 months or longer
• If you are a full-time student (which most  international – non-EU students are); AND you are living in the UK with your spouse and children; AND your spouse and children are NOT from a country in the European Economic Area; AND they have been admitted to the UK as your dependents and have ‘leave to remain’ in the UK; AND no other non-student lives in the property.

If you live in university halls of residence, you do not need to pay council tax; if you live in private accommodation and you are exempt, then your landlord will probably ask you to provide a Council Tax Exemption Certificate. You can obtain one of these from the university – more details are available from the Centre for International Education:

The UK, like most countries, has strict laws that govern the driving and owning of motor vehicles.

If you hold a valid driving licence or International Driving Permit (and are not barred from driving in the UK), you may drive the vehicles that your licence covers for 12 months from the date you first arrive to begin your course.

It is essential that you have valid motor insurance for the vehicle that you will be driving.

For further information, read the UKCISAs information sheet on driving in the UK.

One of the real benefits of choosing to study in a foreign country is the opportunity to experience new cultures and a different way of life.

It is a chance to meet new people from different backgrounds, make new friends from all over the world and learn about new things. The North West of England is one of the best places in the country to live and we are confident that you will settle here and feel at home.

Coming to a new country, however, can be a daunting, challenging and often stressful experience.

There can be many reasons for finding things difficult – from the language and money to the food and change to a more independent way of studying – so it is understandable if it all seems unfamiliar.

Other Resources

The UK Council for International Student Affairs recommends the Online Cultural Training Resource for Study Abroad website as a source of information on cultural awareness and ways to overcome any cultural difficulties you may be facing. They have also produced an information sheet “International Students and Culture Shock” which has some great advice.

The British Council also has lots of information regarding living in the UK, please visit their UK life and culture webpages.

If you follow a religion and worship regularly at home, then you will be able to continue doing so when you come to study in the UK.

UK religion covers all faiths and every major world religion is welcome. Edge Hill is close to the large cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Preston so you will be able to find Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist centres, as well as synagogues and churches of all denominations.

Keeping routine with your faith will provide you with a link to your life at home, and can also make it easier to meet and develop new friendships with other international students and UK residents.

Edge Hill offers a multi-faith chaplaincy service with chaplains from different Christian denominations, the Jewish faith and the Muslim faith.

Whether you face economic crisis, family and relationship problems or anxieties and worries in other areas, our Chaplains offer staff and students a confidential and supportive service from a faith perspective. For more information please visit the chaplaincy webpages.

Edge Hill also offers a multi-faith prayer room on campus. The Magnolia room is open to any staff, student or visitor to Edge Hill.

More information on religion in the UK can be found on the BBC website.