While Australian universities welcome international students and eagerly await more, researchers claim that several structural obstacles limit students’ capacity to travel to the country.
Following the country’s border reopening to eligible student visa holders on Dec. 15 last year, the Australian international education sector has cautiously admitted international students to their universities.
Key Takeaways:
- A variety of structural impediments stop students from visiting Australia.
- According to experts, Australia’s COVID-19 approach has resulted in a hierarchy of student movement and a divided international student community.
- A range of structural factors has impacted students’ ability to return to Australia, including the universities where they have enrolled and the courses they are doing.
Reportedly, Australia’s COVID-19 response has resulted in a hierarchy of student mobility and a divided international student community. The company added that both could have long-term consequences for the international education sector’s recovery.
Students’ ability to return to Australia has been hampered by various structural reasons, including the Australian universities where they are enrolled and the courses they are taking. International students who have taken the Russian Sputnik V vaccines or other Chinese Sinopharm vaccines that the Department of Home Affairs has not licensed are currently excluded from returning to Australian universities.
Students who were stranded or stayed in Australia during the pandemic had additional obstacles, such as the inability to access government-subsidized programs.
During lockdowns, many people felt neglected and unwelcome as they battled to find part-time work and purchase necessities. Students in the fourth category are in their last years of study in priority programs with required practical components and have been accorded priority for immigration into Australia.
MSM Unify is your one-stop source platform that connects students, higher education institutions, and agents in Australia and worldwide. Sign up now to get the latest updates and information on international education.