It was on February 3 that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern unveiled the five-step plan of reconnecting New Zealand to the world.
As part of five-step plan to reopen NZ’s borders, from 11.59 pm on Tuesday 12 April, up to 5000 international students can enter NZ for semester 2.
Though this announcement brought a sigh of relief for many in the education sector who hoped that finally the sector – which had been adversely affected since the NZ border closed in March 2020 – will have something to look forward to. However, the announcement has also opened many unanswered questions regarding who the 5000 students will be and how and when they will be able to apply among other.
Amritpal Singh, 20, who currently is in Delhi India, has all his plans to study in NZ but the lack of clarity on the process is proving a hindrance for him. “I want to do my international studies in hospitality management and though NZ would be a great country to pursue it. However, the fact that there is not much clarity about the process especially how and when to apply is making me have my second thoughts about it. Now I am thinking I might consider other options like Canada or Australia which have clearer and easier process”
Seeking clarification Indian Weekender approached MBIE and the reply we got from a senior engagement and communications advisor read, “The Ministry of Education is responsible for the international student border exception so you’ll need to reach out to them for an answer to your query.”
When we redirected our query to the Ministry of Education, Shelley Robertson, Group Manager, Policy from Ministry of Education said, “From 12 April 2022, visa processing will be open for the recently announced border exception class for up to 5000 international students who will begin arriving from July onwards.
“The details and criteria for the cohort have yet to be confirmed and education providers will be updated with this information shortly when the allocation of places across the sector has been determined. As with previous border exceptions, students who are interested should talk to their prospective education providers and indicate their interest.”
The Education NZ on its website posted an update on Thursday morning regarding the cohort of 5000 students. The statement read, “The students will be able to enter NZ from mid-2022 as a border exception, through a centrally managed process.
Student numbers will be allocated across the sector, based on the proportion of international students who were attending each type of education provider pre-Covid in 2019:
University: 1,450
Te Pukenga: 700
School (year 9 and above): 1000
PTE: 850
English Language School: 1000
Students will need to meet the same living cost requirements as the previous cohort, namely funds of $15,000 for school students and $20,000 for other students.
Expected timings are as follows:
Early to mid-March 2022 – decisions communicated about the allocation of places to individual education providers
Mid-late March 2022 – education providers begin nominating students
Mid-April 2022 – the border exception visa application process opens for cohort 4 students
From mid-2022 – students are in NZ ready to begin their study.
We appreciate that the timings are tight, and everyone involved will need to work closely together so we can make the most of this opportunity.”
Experts from NZ’s education sector feel despite this announcement, the education sector in NZ is still in limbo.
Bharat Chawla, an education industry leader who is currently working on developing various platforms for NZ education feels there is lot of uncertainty about the arrival of international students. He says, “There is a lot of uncertainty about the border opening — for example, the timeframe of visa processing, the criteria of selection, any changes in further policy of immigration, when the new students will be apply who have not started studies online, etc.
“Currently, even institutions do not know the selection criteria for selecting the 5000 students coming to NZ. I know that even places of the first 1000 students' cohorts are not completed due to slow processing of allocation, nomination requirements are very specific and increase financial requirements.
He further adds that the governments need to provide a detailed roadmap. “Only announcing the date of opening the border does not fulfil the requirements. The logistics around the whole processing time is not defined yet. It gives a lot of uncertainty to parents or students regarding when they can come to NZ. The government should provide a detailed roadmap.
“Students are asking about the date of travel, how much time it will take to get visas, what happens if the policy changes, and if the government closes the borders again in the middle, there is a lot of uncertainty in the industry with students.
There is a-lot more information is needed to bring this industry back to track, only dates do not help much.”
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