Fully vaccinated international students from around the world
into Australia from next week, without needing to apply for a travel exemption. Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement yesterday.
Although university bodies such as and the welcomed the announcement, sources in the higher education sector have said they were blindsided by it and are now scrambling to update their plans.
Prior to the prime minister’s announcement, only small numbers of students had been able to apply for a to enter the country. They included research students with Australian government funding, medical, dental, nursing or allied health students who would undertake work placements, and secondary school students in years 11 and 12.
This announcement is a major change from less than a month ago how and when the would be be able to enter Australia.
Read more:
On October 15, New South Wales Premier quarantine restrictions would be scrapped from November 1 for all fully vaccinated international arrivals to the state. But the the brakes on the NSW plan to open up to the world, saying:
Such confusion put states in a difficult position. Before Morrison’s announcement yesterday, NSW and Victoria – the states hosting the most international students – both developed pilot programs to return international students. was to allow up to 250 international students studying with state education providers to return each fortnight from early December 2021. That figure would increase to 500 students per fortnight by the end of the year.
would at first allow 120 currently enrolled students nominated by universities to enter the state each week. Numbers would be expanded to more students and other providers over time.
Universities in both states had been working frantically to organise details such as prioritising students selected for the programs and chartered flights. The Commonwealth’s dropping of restrictions on international travel now seems to have superseded these pilot plans.
Read more:
This will probably mean the caps of 250 per fortnight in NSW and 120 per week for Victoria will no longer be in place.
The only aspects of the pilot programs in NSW and Victoria likely to remain could be the already organised chartered flights. These will slightly ease the burden on commercial airlines, which may need more time to ensure capacity.
The has updated its information, saying:
However, most of the states’ universities have not yet updated their plans.
Both NSW and Victoria had already for fully vaccinated arrivals. But international students entering other states may still face a range of restrictions. In the case of this includes having to pay for a mandatory two-week stay in an isolated quarantine facility.
Entering Western Australia , given the state’s plan to ease border controls only once a 90% two-dose vaccination target is achieved.
It’s also important to note international student pilot programs were restricted to universities, `are enrolled. The latest announcement now means students in other kinds of international education, such as the vocational education and training sector and English language courses, can start arriving.
It’s unclear, however, what the announcement means for international school students, as those under 18 are less likely to be vaccinated.
Under the new arrangements to begin from December 1, :
Eligible visa holders include skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holidaymaker and provisional family visa holders.
Read more:
School students are more likely to be interested in coming early in the next year anyway. But international tertiary students could be interested in arriving soon to work here over the summer, given Australia’s skill shortages in industries that commonly employ them – such as hospitality.
The big question now is how long it will take airlines to ramp up to full capacity. In pre-COVID times, this would have been a walk in the park. There were in Australia in 2019, or around 1.8 million inbound passengers per month.
In October, the international air travel is at only 40% of pre-COVID levels in 2021. It may take a long time to reach pre-COVID levels again, but at least we’re on our way.
Read more:
Christopher Ziguras is past President of the International Education Association of Australia and has had a role as the Association's Research Director.
Although university bodies such as and the welcomed the announcement, sources in the higher education sector have said they were blindsided by it and are now scrambling to update their plans.
States in confusion
Prior to the prime minister’s announcement, only small numbers of students had been able to apply for a to enter the country. They included research students with Australian government funding, medical, dental, nursing or allied health students who would undertake work placements, and secondary school students in years 11 and 12.
This announcement is a major change from less than a month ago how and when the would be be able to enter Australia.
Read more:
On October 15, New South Wales Premier quarantine restrictions would be scrapped from November 1 for all fully vaccinated international arrivals to the state. But the the brakes on the NSW plan to open up to the world, saying:
Such confusion put states in a difficult position. Before Morrison’s announcement yesterday, NSW and Victoria – the states hosting the most international students – both developed pilot programs to return international students. was to allow up to 250 international students studying with state education providers to return each fortnight from early December 2021. That figure would increase to 500 students per fortnight by the end of the year.
would at first allow 120 currently enrolled students nominated by universities to enter the state each week. Numbers would be expanded to more students and other providers over time.
Universities in both states had been working frantically to organise details such as prioritising students selected for the programs and chartered flights. The Commonwealth’s dropping of restrictions on international travel now seems to have superseded these pilot plans.
Read more:
This will probably mean the caps of 250 per fortnight in NSW and 120 per week for Victoria will no longer be in place.
The only aspects of the pilot programs in NSW and Victoria likely to remain could be the already organised chartered flights. These will slightly ease the burden on commercial airlines, which may need more time to ensure capacity.
The has updated its information, saying:
However, most of the states’ universities have not yet updated their plans.
Different rules for different states
Both NSW and Victoria had already for fully vaccinated arrivals. But international students entering other states may still face a range of restrictions. In the case of this includes having to pay for a mandatory two-week stay in an isolated quarantine facility.
Entering Western Australia , given the state’s plan to ease border controls only once a 90% two-dose vaccination target is achieved.
It’s also important to note international student pilot programs were restricted to universities, `are enrolled. The latest announcement now means students in other kinds of international education, such as the vocational education and training sector and English language courses, can start arriving.
It’s unclear, however, what the announcement means for international school students, as those under 18 are less likely to be vaccinated.
Under the new arrangements to begin from December 1, :
- depart from their home country
- be fully vaccinated with a completed dosage of a vaccine approved or recognised by the TGA
- hold a valid Australian visa
- provide proof of their vaccination status
- present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within three days of departure.
Eligible visa holders include skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holidaymaker and provisional family visa holders.
Read more:
School students are more likely to be interested in coming early in the next year anyway. But international tertiary students could be interested in arriving soon to work here over the summer, given Australia’s skill shortages in industries that commonly employ them – such as hospitality.
The big question now is how long it will take airlines to ramp up to full capacity. In pre-COVID times, this would have been a walk in the park. There were in Australia in 2019, or around 1.8 million inbound passengers per month.
In October, the international air travel is at only 40% of pre-COVID levels in 2021. It may take a long time to reach pre-COVID levels again, but at least we’re on our way.
Read more:
Christopher Ziguras is past President of the International Education Association of Australia and has had a role as the Association's Research Director.