Latest News

We will always post the latest news regarding LLE and the COVID-19 pandemic here first, so keep checking to see our updates.

Book with confidence - 2023

You are protected against unforeseen cancellations of your course outside your control, either through your GuardMe travel insurance or LLE's refund policy. See full details here.

 

11th January 2023 - Latest Covid information for travellers from China

16th March 2022 - Most COVID travel requirements for passengers arriving in the UK have ended. The few remaining rules will end on Friday 18 March.

There may still be requirements for travel into countries outside the UK, so students will still need to check the rules in their home or travel country.

 

26th January 2022 - Testing requirements reduced for UK arrivals, China and other countries added to approved vaccine list

Great news for our students, as the UK government confirms the easing of the remaining COVID-19 testing requirements for fully-vaccinated passengers.

From 4am on 11 February:

• All COVID testing requirements will be removed for eligible fully-vaccinated passengers.
• This also applies to ALL under-18s, irrespective of where they are travelling from or their vaccine status.
• 16 more countries will be added to the UK's approved vaccine list from 11 February, including China, Algeria, Guatemala, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico and Turkmenistan.
• Adults not recognised as fully vaccinated under UK travel rules will only be required to take a pre-departure test and a COVID PCR test by day 2 after their arrival. They will no longer be required to quarantine unless this test is positive. 
• The government also plans to introduce a simpler version of the Passenger Locator Form.

These changes have been confirmed by all UK nations.

 

5th January 2022 - Pre-departure tests will no longer be needed

From Friday 7th January at 4am, pre-departure travel COVID tests will no longer be needed to enter England from overseas. This applies to fully vaccinated adults and all under 18's.

The requirement to self-isolate on arrival to England until receiving a negative PCR test result will also be lifted.

Instead, those arriving to England can take a lateral flow test on day two after arrival, if this test is positive, a further PCR test will be needed, plus isolation as usual in the case of a positive test.

This is great news for our students travelling to England in 2022!

 

30th November 2021 - Omicron variant triggers changes to the UK travel regulations

From the 30th November 2021, anyone entering the UK (aged over 4 years) is now required to take a PCR test on day 2 of their arrival into the UK. This includes adults who are classed as fully vaccinated.

Every person (aged over 4 years) must now quarantine upon arrival in the UK for at least 48 hours and until they have received a negative PCR test result. This includes people who qualify as being fully vaccinated.

Lateral flow tests (LFT) and antigen tests are no longer accepted for the Day 2 travel tests. If you have already booked an LFT or antigen test then you must RE-BOOK a PCR test and submit a new passenger locator form, if it has already been completed.

Passengers should also check the rules in the country you are travelling from as they may require adults and children to take a COVID-19 test at the start of the journey to the UK.

The UK has added several countries to the red list. Travel from the UK from a red-listed country is banned unless you are a UK citizen returning home or you have residency rights in the UK. Please check the red list before travelling. If you have visited a red list country in the 10 days prior to travelling to the UK, you will not be permitted to enter.

Full guidance is available here: www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19

Changes to COVID-19 Regulations in the UK from 30^th November 2021

Adults and Children aged over 11 years old must wear a mask in the following settings and situations:

• shops and supermarkets (places that offer goods or services for retail sale or hire)
• shopping centres (malls and indoor markets)
• auction houses
• post offices, banks, building societies, credit unions, short-term loan providers, savings clubs and money service businesses
• estate and letting agents
• premises providing personal care and beauty treatments (barbers, hair salons, tattoo and piercing studios, nail salons and massage centres)
• pharmacies
• premises providing veterinary services
• retail galleries
• retail travel agents
• takeaways without space for consumption of food or drink on premises
• public transport (aeroplanes, trains, trams, buses, coaches and ferries), taxis and private hire vehicles
• transport hubs (airports, rail and tram stations and terminals, maritime ports and terminals, bus and coach stations and terminals)
• any car or small van during a professionally delivered driving lesson and practical driving test

Further information can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own

 

8th November 2021 - COVID-19 vaccines on the WHO EUL will be recognised and all under-18s coming to England will be treated as fully vaccinated at the border

• Vaccines listed under the WHO Emergency Use List will be recognised in the UK government’s  inbound travel rules
• Travel rules simplified  further,  as all under-18s worldwide will be able to enter England without needing to self-isolate on arrival
• Changes come into force at  4am on Monday 22 November 2021

From 4am on Monday 22 November, the UK government will recognise vaccines on the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL). Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin will be added to the list of approved vaccines for inbound travel.

Passengers  who have been fully vaccinated and have received their vaccine  certificate from one of  over  135 approved  countries and territories  are not required to  take a  pre-departure test, day 8 test or self-isolate upon arrival.  Instead, passengers will just need to take a lateral flow test to take before the end of their second day,  post-arrival.

From 4am on Monday 22 November, the UK government will  recognise the  following vaccines:  Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca (including Covishield), Moderna and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson), and WHO EUL including Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin.

This comes as the government simplifies travel rules for all under-18s coming to England who will be treated as fully vaccinated at the border and will be exempt from self-isolation requirements on arrival, day 8 testing and pre-departure testing. They will only be required to take 1 post-arrival test and a confirmatory free PCR test if they test positive.

 

30th October 2021 - All remaining countries removed from the red list, and quarantine-free travel extended to 30 more countries.

From 4am on Monday 11 November, the following changes will come into effect in the UK:

All remaining countries moving off the red list

From 4am on Monday 1 November, the seven remaining countries will come off the UK's red travel list. They are Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Students arriving after this date from any country will not need to enter the managed hotel quarantine system. They will need to quarantine in their accommodation for ten days, unless they meet the conditions to be exempt from quarantine (see details below).

Note: the red list has not disappeared entirely - the government will review the red list every three weeks and countries may be added.

Students from 30 more countries to be exempt from quarantine if eligible

Also on Monday 1 November, 30 more countries will be added to the UK's approved vaccine programme list, including Angola, Argentina, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nepal, Panama, Mongolia, Peru and Uruguay.

All under 18s from these countries can arrive without quarantining

For adults, it will depend on whether they are fully vaccinated with a UK-approved vaccine. 

For UK travel purposes, an adult passenger is considered 'fully vaccinated' if: 

• They have had a complete course of the Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna or Janssen vaccines, or a combination of these, at least 15 days before arrival AND
• They received their vaccine in a country on the list of approved vaccination programmes.
• All passengers under 18 years old from these countries follow the same rules as fully vaccinated adults, so they do not need to quarantine.

All EU countries are already on the approved country list, and also Brazil, Chile, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, Vietnam and more.

Passengers who are exempt from quarantine also have reduced COVID test requirements. Before travel, they just need to book a COVID test for day two after arrival, and they need to complete the UK passenger locator form. In England (and in Wales from 31 October) the test can now be a cheaper, easier, lateral flow test.

 

15 October 2021 - Lateral flow tests to replace day-two PCR test requirements.

The UK government has announced that from Monday the 24th of October, vaccinated adults and under 18's can take the cheaper lateral flow tests instead of the PCR test on day two after arrival in the UK.

• This change only applies to arriving passengers who are exempt from quarantine. This means eligible adults from the approved list of countries (ie those vaccinated with a UK-approved vaccine) and all under 18s from the same countries.
• Passengers still need to book a day two test in advance, but the lateral flow tests will be considerably less expensive and easier to administer than the current PCR tests.
• Lateral flow tests can be booked through the providers listed on GOV.UK from Friday 22 October.
• Passengers will still need to add the test booking reference to their Passenger Locator Form. They can do this from 22 October for arrival on or after 24 October.
• They need to take the test on or before day two and send a photo of their test result back to their provider with their test booking reference.
• Anyone who tests positive will need to take a confirmatory PCR test which will be available free of charge through NHS Test and Trace.
• Passengers who have visited or transited through a red-list country in the 10 days prior to arriving in the UK need to follow red list rules.

 

20 September 2021 - A new, simplified system for international travel. 8 countries move off the red list.

Eight countries will move from the red list on 22 September and the rules for international travel to England will change on 4 October 2021.

• A new clearer travel system: red list and the rest of the world

• Simpler, cheaper rules for fully vaccinated travellers coming from non-red list countries – fully vaccinated passengers will be able to replace day 2 PCR tests with cheaper lateral flow tests – from the end of October – and no longer need to take pre-departure tests (PDTs)

• 8 destinations removed from the red list

• The government recognises full vaccinations from a further 17 countries and territories including Japan and Singapore

• These changes will occur in all four UK nations, while for arrivals in England, the testing requirements will also change in October. 

The full changes outlined

From Wednesday 22 September eight countries will move off the red list:

• Turkey
• Oman
• Pakistan
• The Maldives
• Egypt
• Sri Lanka
• Bangladesh
• Kenya

From Monday 4 October the current traffic light system will be replaced by a single red list and simplified travel arrangements for everyone else.

Also from Monday 4 October the list of fully-vaccinated travellers who do not need to quarantine on arrival in England will be expanded to include those with a full course of the Oxford/ AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or (single dose) Janssen vaccines from a relevant public health body in an additional 17 countries:

• Australia
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Barbados
• Bahrain
• Brunei
• Canada
• Dominica
• Israel
• Japan
• Kuwait
• Malaysia
• New Zealand
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Taiwan

This is in addition to those fully-vaccinated under an approved programme in the US, EU/ EEA and UK, making for 50 countries in total. The Department for Transport have confirmed that under 18s will be treated as vaccinated adults if they are from the UK, or 50 other countries where vaccine status is recognised.

These fully-vaccinated travellers will not need to take a pre-departure test (PDT), a day 8 PCR test or quarantine for 10 days. They will continue to need to book a day 2 PCR test in advance of travel and complete a passenger locator form.

Those travelling from non-red list countries who do not meet the eligibility requirements for fully-vaccinated travellers will continue to need to quarantine for 10 days, take a pre-departure Covid-19 test and pre-book day 2 and day 8 PCR tests. They can still take a day 5 test-to-release test to shorten their quarantine period (England only).

The rules for arrivals from red list countries are unchanged.

From the end of October, eligible fully-vaccinated travellers (see above) will be able to replace their day 2 PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test. Anyone testing positive will need to isolate and take a confirmatory PCR test at no extra cost. This PCR test will be genomically sequenced to help identify new variants of Covid-19.

Read the full update on the UK government website here.

 

27 August 2021 - UK updates international travel lists with 7 new destinations added to the green list. Thailand and Montenegro to be added to the red list

At 4am on Monday 30 August, Montenegro and Thailand will move to the red list. The Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland will move to the green list.

Read the update on the Government's website here.

 

5 August 2021 - Under 18 and fully vaccinated passengers travelling to the UK from France will no longer need to quarantine from Sunday 8 August

The UK government has announced changes to the traffic light system which see France move from Amber-plus to Amber, meaning passengers arriving from France who are under 18 or fully vaccinated will no longer need to quarantine on arrival to the UK.

Amber arrivals who have been fully vaccinated in the EU and USA will still be required to:

See below (30 July update) for the travel requirements for under 18s, which now also apply to France.

The following changes are in effect from 8 August:

30 July 2021 - Under 18s from EU and USA will not need to quarantine

Children under 18 travelling to the UK from EU countries and the USA will not need to quarantine, from 2nd August.

Children under 18 at the time of their arrival to the UK who are ordinarily resident in Europe, including EU member states (except for France), European Free Trade Association countries, European microstate countries and the USA will also be exempt from quarantine requirements.

Testing requirements for under 18s

Children ages 11 - 17 will need proof of a negative COVID-19 test before travel. Children aged 10 and under are exempt from this.

Children ages 5 and above need to book a test on or before day 2 after arrival. They do not need to complete a day 8 test if they are travelling from EU countries.

Those aged 5 years and above need to book a test on or before day 2 after their arrival. They do not need to complete a day eight test if they are travelling from one of the countries listed above.

Children under 5 years do not need to take any kind of test.

Fully vaccinated adults travelling to the UK

The UK government has announced that passengers arriving from amber countries who have been fully vaccinated in Europe (including EU member states, European Free Trade Association countries and European microstate countries) and the USA will not have to quarantine when entering England, Wales and Scotland.

From 4 am on Monday, 2 August 2021, passengers who are fully vaccinated in the EU with vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or in the Swiss vaccination programme, or in the USA by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will be able to travel to England, Scotland and Wales without having to quarantine or take a day-8 test on arrival.

The two vaccinations required for full vaccination must be in place at least 14 days before arrival.

Requirements for all arrivals

Amber-country arrivals who are under 18 or have been fully vaccinated in the EU and USA will still be required to:

• Complete a pre-departure test before arrival to the UK

• Take a PCR test on or before day 2 after arrival

• Complete a passenger locator form online before arrival to the UK

Arrivals from France

The above does not apply to people travelling from France or those who have been in France in the 10 days before arrival in the UK. All arrivals from France must quarantine for 10 days and take a pre-departure COVID-19 test, a PCR test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8, even if fully vaccinated.

Even if you are fully vaccinated, if arriving from France you must follow the advice on how to quarantine if you are not fully vaccinated.

You can read the updated red, amber and green list rules for entering England here.

 

29 July 2021 - UK Government waives quarantine period for fully vaccinated arrivals from Europe and USA to England, Scotland and Wales

The UK government has announced that passengers arriving from amber countries who have been fully vaccinated in Europe (including EU member states, European Free Trade Association countries and European microstate countries) and the USA will not have to quarantine when entering England, Wales and Scotland.

From 4am on Monday, 2 August 2021, passengers who are fully vaccinated in the EU with vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or in the Swiss vaccination programme, or in the USA by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will be able to travel to England, Scotland and Wales without having to quarantine or take a day-8 test on arrival.

Amber arrivals who have been fully vaccinated in the EU and USA will still be required to:

Those arriving from France should continue to follow these separate rules: If a passenger has been in France in the 10 days before arriving to the UK, they must quarantine for 10 days after they arrive and take a COVID-19 test before day 2 and on or after day 8. Even if you are fully vaccinated, if arriving from France you must follow the advice on how to quarantine if you are not fully vaccinated.

You can read the updated red, amber and green list rules for entering England here.

 

6 July 2021 - England to move to Step 4 of reopening plan on the 19th of July

UK Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced that England is expected to continue into Step 4 of the roadmap out of COVID restrictions on the 19th of July. The government has released more details about Step 4, as well as 5 principles for managing COVID-19, as we learn to live with the virus and stay safe:

1. Reinforce the country’s vaccine wall of defence through booster jabs and driving take-up.
2. Enable the public to make informed decisions through guidance, rather than laws.
3. Retain proportionate test, trace and isolate plans in line with international comparators.
4. Manage risks at the border and support a global response to reduce the risk of variants emerging globally and entering the UK.
5. Retain contingency measures to respond to unexpected events, while accepting that further cases, hospitalisations and deaths will occur as the country learns to live with COVID-19.

See the full details of the 5 principles for managing COVID-19 here.

Lifting Restrictions

Most restrictions to control COVID in England will be lifted at Step 4, including:

• You will not need to stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with.
• There will be no limits on the number of people you can meet.
• It will no longer be necessary for the Government to instruct people to work from home. Employers can start to plan a return to workplaces.
• Face coverings will no longer be required by law in any setting.
• There will no longer be limits on the number of people who can attend weddings, civil partnerships, funerals and other life events (including receptions and celebrations). There will be no requirement for table service at life events, or restrictions on singing or dancing.
• There will no longer be restrictions on group sizes for attending communal worship.

Read more about the lifting of UK restrictions here.

 

16 June 2021 - More than 30 million in the UK vaccinated with second dose

The UK is marking 30 million people vaccinated fully, celebrating the progress of the vaccine rollout!

Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms. Vaccinated people are even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus to others.

 

15 June 2021 - UK delays move to Step 4 of reopening plan

UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson announced at a press conference that England would pause for 4 weeks at Step 3 of the reopening plan. It is expected that England will move to Step 4 on the 19th of July.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland keep to separate schedules, please see full guidance for the UK on the government website.

 

9 June 2021 - LLE Summer 2:1 with Quarantine can now go ahead

The government has released new guidance, stating that up to three students can quarantine together. These students can arrive from different amber-list countries on the UK's traffic light entry system, but they must arrive within three days of each other.

All students will need to quarantine for 10 days from the last student's arrival date.

This means that our popular summer 2:1 courses can now go ahead, with quarantine.

These courses will be 2 weeks minimum, though we would recommend 3 weeks as after 10 days of quarantine, students will be able to go on excursions - fun days out to museums, famous sights, beauty spots and other places of interest around the UK. 

Please contact us for booking - we're very happy to be able to offer our summer 2:1 courses again!

 

7 May 2021 - England travel 'green list' revealed

The English 'green list' has been revealed, currently, 10 countries that will have no quarantine requirements on entry from the 17th of May:

Australia, Brunei, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Israel and Jerusalem, New Zealand, Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira), Singapore

The UK government will be reviewing the list every 3 weeks, and we're optimistic that more EU countries will be added to the green list over the coming months.

Arrivals from countries on the amber list will be able to enter the UK with a period of quarantine - We offer a Course with Quarantine in a UK teacher's home so you can make good use of this time, and feel relaxed in your teacher's home.

See the full story and requirements on the UK government website here.

 

13 April 2021 - UK confirms 'traffic light' entry system

The UK government has announced that when international travel resumes, a 'traffic light' system will be used, with countries being given green, amber or red status.

The provisional start date of this measure is May 17th, but this has not yet been confirmed.

The new green category will have no isolation requirements on arrival to the UK, although pre-departure and post-arrival COVID tests will still be required.

Arrivals from amber-designated countries will have to quarantine for 10 days, and take two tests. Arrival from countries listed as red will be banned except for UK residents and citizens.

The announcement of the country lists will be on 7 May.

This is great news for our summer students, as we're hoping to be able to go ahead with courses with no quarantine restrictions! Watch this space for more information.

 

See more from the StudyTravel article here, and read the UK government's full statement here.

 

4 March 2021 - We are taking bookings

We are taking bookings now!

Please contact us or email us at info@livingenglish.com with your enquiries.

We look forward to hearing from you.

 

22 February 2021 - UK PM announces Road to Recovery

The UK government has announced an exciting plan to end restrictions in the UK.

The Plan

The roadmap out of lockdown in the UK consists of 4 stages tied to key dates, or 5 weeks apart.

What it means for you

Living Learning English can accept bookings for home tuition courses from the 12th of April. Please contact us for booking.

The first stage, from the 8th of March, includes 'Schools and colleges are open for all students. Practical Higher Education Courses'

English UK will be releasing clear guidance for our sector later in the week.

We're now going through the new guidance and working hard to keep you informed. We'll update this page with more information as soon as we can.

 

18 February 2021 - UK inbound travel regulations

Passengers travelling into the UK must complete the following before their departure:

• Produce evidence of a negative test within 72 hours of departure.
• Book and pay for a Travel Test Package, which will include tests to be taken after arrival in the UK, on day 2 and 8. The cost of this package is £210.
• Fill in a Passenger Locator Form within 48 hours of departure, including the following details: The passenger's travel test package booking reference number and where they will home quarantine in the UK (your teacher's address).

When arriving in the UK, all passengers are required by law to quarantine for 10 days and take the two tests included in their travel test package. If either one of these post-arrival tests is positive, they must quarantine for a further 10 days.

Passengers from countries on the UK government's RED LIST are not currently allowed to travel to the UK.

Please see the English UK website advice for more detailed information: www.englishuk.com/coronavirus/travel-visas.

 

16 February 2021 - Easter holiday academic courses and homestays

If you are at boarding school, college or university in the UK, you may not be able to go home for the holidays. Book a stay with one of our friendly, professional teachers and their family for the Easter holiday. We have spaces available for courses with English and subject tuition, as well as homestay placements.

See more about our Academic Holiday Courses here, or contact us for more information and tailored booking.

 

10 February 2021 - Summer bookings

We are taking enquiries and bookings for summer 2021. Please contact us here.

 

4 January 2021 - The UK in lockdown

See the story here.

 

 

Book with confidence - 2021

LLE accepts all cancellations or postponements due to COVID-19 and full refunds will be given for all courses in 2021 if the course cannot go ahead. We are booking students for summer 2021 now, and if any reason is they cannot go ahead, then we can refund or postpone.

Our COVID-safe policy

With every enquiry, we will send you our full, regularly updated COVID-safe policy.