Information for new international students

Here at The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust we have a long and valued tradition of offering training to mental health professionals from overseas. We are proud to both invite students from across the world to our base in London, and also to deliver education across the globe in different settings.

At the Tavistock and Portman we welcome students from around the globe. If you are joining us for study in 2021, you may have some queries relating to study and your residence. If you are from a European Union country and are currently studying with us, or about to begin one of our courses, you may also have a number of questions or concerns around Brexit.

Visa information for new international students

As of the 5 October 2020, the Tier 4 visa route that was used by international students to study in the UK was replaced by a new visa route called “Student Visa”. This will be required by new international applicants to our courses who want to join us from September 2021.

We are able to sponsor international students to apply for a Student Visa, where they meet the UK Visas and Immigration pre-determined criteria. As part of your application process to us, we will assist you with gaining a Student Visa.

We strongly advise that you keep up to date with the rules and regulations via the UKVI website. The UK Visas and Immigration website has a lot of information for international students. Please see the most up to date information on the UK Government's Student Visa pages.

If you require further information about our visa process, please contact our overseas student office.

Fees for international students

Each of our course pages show the fee for international students.

In accordance with Home Office guidelines, for courses starting in September 2020, fees for students who are nationals of countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are higher than those for UK/EEA/Swiss students.

The definition of an international student is:

(a) A student who has not been ordinarily resident in the UK throughout the three year period preceding 1 September, 1 January or 1 April closest to the beginning of the first term of his/her course;

and

(b) the student has been resident therein, during any part of that three year period, wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education;

and

Fees for students from the EU

The rules on tuition fee charging rates and Student Support funding for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals starting programmes from Autumn 2021 are changing.

We have taken the advice below from the UKCISA website and we would strongly advise that you read the information that is held on this page.

If you are an EU student already enrolled on Tavistock and Portman course, Brexit will not affect your fees status. You will be charged the Home fee amount for the duration of your course. If your course ends after 31 December 2020 and you have not already, you should apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. Please note: If you are on a course that has a second or third follow on course after it, the Home fee status will not apply to the subsequent course(s) only the course that you started pre-31 December 2020.

If you are an EU student with settled or pre-settled status in the UK and will enrol on a course from September 2021 , you may be eligible for Home fee status. In order to do so, you must fulfil the criteria below:

1. You must have protected rights (please see below)

2. You must be an EU national on the first day of the first academic year of the course

3. You must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the full three-year period before the first day of the first academic year of the course. For example, if the course begins in October 2021 you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands from 1 September 2018 to 31 August 2021

4. You cannot include full-time education as being an ordinary resident. If the main purpose of your residence for the three-year period was to receive full-time education, you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK / EEA / Switzerland / the overseas territories (these include Gibraltar) the day before the start of the three-year period.

5.You must be ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course.

To have protected rights you (the student) must be in one of the following categories

A: You must have pre-settled status or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

B: You are an Irish citizen who “exercised their right to reside in the UK in accordance with EU law before the end of the transition period and continues to reside thereafter’’

C: You are still waiting for a decision on an application you made under the EU Settlement Scheme before the end of 30 June 2021.

New EU students who do not have settled or pre-settled status who enrol on a Tavistock and Portman course from September 2021, will no longer be eligible for Home fee status and will be charged the international fee level for the duration of their course.

EU students – further information

Please see our dedicated Brexit information for EU & EEA and Swiss Nationals webpage for the most up to date information.

Useful information about life in the UK

Information about studying abroad

UK Council for International Student Affairs: https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/

British Council: https://www.britishcouncil.org/

International Student: Study in the UK Guide for International Students

Banking in the UK

Banks in the UK are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and must operate in accordance with their requirements and those of the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group. They also have their own policies and procedures to follow and will carry out relevant checks to decide what account you may be eligible to open. If you are not able to open an account with your first choice of bank, we recommend you try elsewhere. Unfortunately, the Trust does not have any influence over a bank’s decision.

The FCA have some useful information for consumers about opening a bank account in the UK. UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) also produce helpful information for students about opening a bank account.

Accommodation

Local Letting Agents

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/estate-agents/Camden-Town.html

https://www.your-move.co.uk/region/north-london

List of cultural centres in the UK:

https://londonist.com/2006/03/london_the_cult

Shopping in the UK

Food

There are many local independent shops where you can buy food in London. The big food chain stores in the UK are: Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, ASDA, Lidl, Aldi

Homeware

There are various places to purchase essential items for your new room or accommodation. Below is a list of places you can find bed linen, towels, furniture, kitchen utensils etc. Argos, IKEA, Tiger, Debenhams, John Lewis

Clothing

Check out this website for ideas about places to buy clothing.
Shopping Directory

The website My Supermarket helps you find the best deals on products from across four major supermarkets.

Restaurants and eating out

Restaurants & Cafes in London - Time Out London

The 10 Best London Restaurants - TripAdvisor

Top 10 budget restaurants and cafes in central London | Travel | The Guardian

London + UK Restaurant + Venue Guide | SquareMeal

Support and well-being

UK Department of Health: UK Department of Health Overseas

London Nightline: UK Department of Health Overseas

The Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/