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Australia has signalled that the majority of international students will not be able to return until the second half of 2022. 

Since January 2021, of the country’s visa-holding international students have been unable to enter the country and return to university because of Covid-19 border restrictions.

The UK government has announced that India will join the Covid-19 red list due to fears of a new virus variant spreading, but there are some exemptions for international students.

The red list details countries from which there are strict restrictions on travel to Britain. From 23 April 2021, no one travelling from India will be granted entry into the UK, unless they have residence rights. Pakistan and Bangladesh are already on the red list.

Students will be able to apply for the new post-study work visa from 1 July 2021, the UK government has announced. 

The visa is open to international students who successfully complete a degree at undergraduate level or above in the UK and allows them to stay in the country to work or seek work for two years. This is extended to three years for doctoral students. 

School teachers in the UK will determine grades for A-level and GCSE students this summer, the government has announced.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson stated that teachers will be able to use a range of resources such as mock exams, coursework or other work, including essays and in-class tests, completed as part of a pupil’s course.

As the clock struck midnight on 1 January 2021, the start of the new year also marked the end of the UK’s membership in the European Union. 

And with that, it also meant that the UK was no longer a part of the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, which has enabled university staff and student exchanges across Europe. 

The UK has instead created its own programme, the Turing scheme (named after pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing).

However, Turing differs from Erasmus+ in a few ways.