Good news: Australia is open to welcome international students
While the border closure with international visitors is still in place, most recently the Australian Government has been making efforts to quickly reopen the door to welcome international students by the end of July, which provides many opportunities for international students who intend to study in Australia.
Up to now, Australia is one of the few advanced countries that is highly appreciated for its success in combating the COVID-19 epidemic. Life in Australia is now gradually stabilizing, so universities are gradually opening to welcome students back. Besides that, the measures for spacing and regulations on public health are still required to be strictly implemented by the Australian Government. The above signal is good news for young people who have dreamed of studying in Kangaroo country. They can expect that this country will soon remove blockade in the nearest time, welcoming the new international students.
Proposal to open the door for international students to return to study
Doors open for international students returning to Australia is considered with many different scenarios. In particular, to start the new semester, the Australian Government has considered planning to implement a pilot program to bring 350 students back to Canberra at the end of July to continue studying. If feasible, the plan will be spread nationwide when universities and state governments coordinate to pay for the 2-week quarantine at the hotel for international students as prescribed.
Accordingly, the University of Canberra and the Australian National University will have to choose 350 out of thousands of international students, especially among those who are researching and senior students will be given priority. They will move to Australia on their own and must have compulsory quarantine for two weeks to ensure medical safety in accordance with Government regulations. In addition, international students will receive support for psychological care and study in quarantine.
In addition to the plan, several proposals have been put in place to restart the education system as quickly as possible such as the university-sponsored flights to bring international students back to Australia, or cooperation between the university and the Government in promoting international student visas and ensuring safety quarantine measures for international students coming to Australia.
Australia wants to quickly welcome international students back because international education is the fourth largest source of income in this country when it earns more than AUD 38 billion (nearly VND 610,000 billion) per year. The number of international students accounts for approximately 1/4 of all students in the country. According to the statistics, the rate of international students in Australia is second highest worldwide, following Luxembourg, contributing more than 40% of the profits of higher education in Australia.
Long-term school closure and restrictions on entry have left at least 10% of international students at Australian schools stuck abroad, resulting in hundreds of dollars lost this year. In addition, if international students do not return soon, within the next 6 months, 21,000 staff at universities will be unemployed and this number will continue to increase in the coming months.
Therefore, the return of international students is considered an important driving force for Australian universities, which have suffered huge financial losses since the border was closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, commenting on the plan, the Australian Association of Universities still states: “The health of students and teachers is the most important, so there will be no student returning to school until there is agreement from health authorities” and if international back to study, schools must commit to ensuring compliance with the medical regulations.
Opportunities for international students who intend to study in Australia
That Australia opens the door for international students in the near future has brought a praiseworthy signal. Many experts believe that those who wish to study abroad in 2020 should apply right now, although the worldwide epidemic has not ended. By submitting the application at this time, you will get more time to prepare the required documents, proactively arrange study abroad plan as well as study time. If the epidemic still happens, the schools will still create conditions for students to postpone their study time to the next intake.
Australian universities have also been actively implementing policies to support international students, and at the same time, adding more attractive new disciplines to attract more students. Many schools have established different advisory channels to help international students who meet difficulties in quarantine and issue policies to support students who are facing financial difficulties. In addition, some universities also add new programs that contribute to creating more “doors” for international students. This is good news, contributing to strengthening the faith for those who have dreamed of studying in Kangaroo country in the near future.
