Please find a link below to the UK Boarder Agency, who have announced that there is to be an extension to the Pre-Entry Tuberculosis (TB) tests. This means that students requiring a visa to enter the UK from countries including China, Russia and Hong Kong will now be required to have the pre-entry TB test, which will replace the on- arrival test currently in place for a small number of countries.
The new list of countries is extremely extensive, listing 70+ countries including many in South Asia, South East Asia and Africa. The exact dates and procedures are yet to be announced but indications suggest an implementation date of July 2012. Here is the link:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2012/may/42-tb-test
Therefore, more so than ever, it will be of great importance for students to submit their visa applications as early as possible (3 months before planned arrival date) to avoid arriving late for the start of term in September.