Universities are concerned that the opening of the border to foreign citizens in April will have little effect on foreign student mobility because visas will be on standby until August.
“Even though the government has stated that it will begin a structured reopening of the border to fully vaccinated foreign citizens on April 30, international university students who want to begin, continue, or complete their studies in person need to know when they can enter after April 30,” says Chris Whelan, chief executive of Universities New Zealand – Te Pkai Tara.
“Three cohorts of border exceptions totaling 1,550 international university students have been granted to date,” he added. “However, the majority of Aotearoa New Zealand’s existing and prospective international students remain offshore, uncertain.”
He also alerted that some members might face a “third consecutive year” with no new international students.
“It typically takes about five months for them to fulfill visa requirements, organize travel, and other matters necessary to live in New Zealand, so they need this verification now if they are going to be able to make it in time for our universities’ second semester in June and July,” Whelan added.
However, the acting director of international operations at the University of Auckland said that visa processing is not the “main barrier” for students wishing to enter the country.
“The biggest obstacle is the confusion around timing and the isolation process for coming into the country,” said Ainslie Moore.
“When students from outside the country are given a border exception, they apply for a visa, and then a place in MIQ [Managed Isolation and Quarantine] – visa processing for these students has been simple and timely, but access to MIQ is limited.” “Some eligible students with visas still do not have a MIQ spot,” she added.
This is consistent with the views of Arunima Dhingra, an immigration and education advisor, who stated that there was “too much uncertainty about” when and how borders would reopen to students.
“At this point, you’re going through one hoop and getting stuck on the other,” she explained.
“The pandemic and its impact on border management continue to be our students’ most difficult challenge,” Moore confirmed.
