Today the Government announced its plans to extend pre entry tuberculosis (TB) screening to an additional 67 countries identified as having 'high incidence' of TB by the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

TB is a serious airborne infection which constitutes a global public health issue and kills an estimated 1.8 million people worldwide each year. Under the UK immigration rules, the UK Border Agency can require visa applicants to undergo a medical examination for the detection of Tuberculosis (TB).

The pre-screening requirement will only affect migrants applying to enter the UK for more than 6 months and who are residents of one of the countries. This will therefore affect students from any of the 67 additional countries coming to study in the UK with Extended Student Visitor Visas (ESVV). Business visitors and tourists on visit visas will be unaffected by this procedure. The UKBA are keeping the dates for extending pre-entry screening to these additional countries under review but plan to begin the extended procedure from around July 2012. Further information will be made available by the UKBA in the UK and internationally for thier customers. On-entry screening will begin to be phased out as a consequence at the UKBA's main screening centres in Heathrow and Gatwick.

Please visit the UKBA website for further details and for the full text of the written ministerial statement that was made today.