News

Border reopening for international students welcomed

<h2>News that international students will be welcomed back to Aotearoa from April has been applauded&comma; with Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao calling the Government’s <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;beehive&period;govt&period;nz&sol;release&sol;border-reopen-stages-27-february" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">announcement<&sol;a> &&num;8216&semi;a positive step for international education&&num;8217&semi;&period;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Outlined as part of a five-step process for reopening borders from 28 February 2022&comma; a border exemption clause for international students will come into effect in April&comma; allowing 5&comma;000 international students to travel for study here in the second semester&period; This is part of a the wider reopening plan&comma; which will allow New Zealanders to return from Australia at the end of February and then from the rest of the world in March&comma; with internationals allowed in from visa waivered countries such as Australia&comma; the UK and USA &&num;8216&semi;no later than July&&num;8217&semi;&comma; and the borders fully opening in October&period;  <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>From October 2022&comma; normal visa processing will resume&comma; enabling international students to enroll for study in New Zealand in 2023&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>ENZ <a class&equals;"wpil&lowbar;keyword&lowbar;link" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;schoolnews&period;co&period;nz&sol;2015&sol;10&sol;new-chief-executive-for-education-council&sol;" title&equals;"Chief Executive" data-wpil-keyword-link&equals;"linked" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">Chief Executive<&sol;a> Grant McPherson says Thursday&&num;8217&semi;s announcement is an important step towards rebuilding a strengthened and sustainable international education sector&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The border reopening steps outlined enable the international education sector to progressively open through 2022 for the existing cohorts&comma; with a new much larger cohort able to enter New Zealand for study before semester two&period;  More details of the new student cohort will be determined by the Ministers of Education and Immigration and advised in due course&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;There&&num;8217&semi;s also an opportunity for students from Visa Waiver countries such as Japan and South Korea to enter New Zealand from July for short visits of up to three months&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The Government has demonstrated their commitment to international students and educational institutions in 2023&comma; with normal visa processing resuming in October 2022&period;  This means international students can plan towards being in New Zealand for courses starting in 2023&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>McPherson said education providers could now plan with greater certainty for the year ahead&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It has been an incredibly challenging period for New Zealand education providers&comma; international students&comma; and those who support them&period;  The sector has shown considerable patience as the borders were carefully managed to minimize the threat posed by COVID-19&period;  Today’s announcement is an opportunity to rebuild and reshape the sector to meet the challenges ahead&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>McPherson said the innovation and diversification into online learning and delivery of courses offshore&comma; including pathway programmes over the last few years&comma; would remain a feature in the industry as it moved forward&period; Today&&num;8217&semi;s announcement also prepares the way for New Zealand students to resume international studies abroad in the future&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;All New Zealand education providers know the value of building international partnerships&comma; and developing new ways of meeting student needs&period; These are important building blocks for future resilience and quality education outcomes&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;In addition&comma; from 14 March 2022 students entering New Zealand through the border exception cohorts will have the opportunity to self-isolate&comma; rather than going through Managed Isolation and Quarantine facilities &&num;8211&semi; subject to complying with all the required health and border requirements&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>McPherson stressed the importance of seeking advice before moving forward with applications for enrolment&period; Students who have questions about this border class exception should contact their agent or preferred education provider in the first instance&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Students can also visit <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;naumainz&period;studyinnewzealand&period;govt&period;nz&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">NauMai NZ<&sol;a>&comma; which provides useful information for international students in New Zealand or preparing to travel to New Zealand&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>He r&amacr; ki tua<&sol;strong> – Better days are coming&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Explore our latest issue...
School News

School News is not affiliated with any government agency, body or political party. We are an independently owned, family-operated magazine.

Recent Posts

Fewer students completing secondary school

Since 2015, fewer students are completing secondary school, defined as remaining enrolled in education until…

4 days ago

Rising demand for Indian language classes at school

As the country’s Indian population grows, so does demand for Indian languages like Hindi, Punjabi…

4 days ago

The Cambridge factor: how influential NZ schools hastened the demise of NCEA

By promoting alternate qualifications, some schools may have undermined public trust in NCEA, explains an…

4 days ago

Using Te Whare Tapa Whā in outdoor adventure programs

When young people immerse themselves in nature, they leave feeling physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually…

4 days ago

Bringing a school production to life

Theatre is much more than performance. Deep skills can be developed across multiple curriculum areas,…

4 days ago

Generative AI tools used frequently by interested primary teachers in NZ

NZCER found generative AI tools are frequently used to support teaching and learning in primary…

2 weeks ago