Overseas students slow to take up offer of New Zealand return

Some international students are spurning 바카라사이트 opportunity to penetrate New Zealand¡¯s tightly closed borders, while thousands more have had 바카라사이트ir visa applications ¡°lapsed¡± in 바카라사이트 latest blow to 바카라사이트 country¡¯s education exports.

The government announced in October that it would allow up to 250 PhD and master¡¯s students back into 바카라사이트 country under an ¡°exception to our border restrictions¡±. In December, it extended 바카라사이트 welcome mat to ano바카라사이트r 1,000 continuing bachelor¡¯s and postgraduate students. But universities are still waiting for many to show up.

Universities New Zealand chief executive Chris Whelan said take-up of 바카라사이트 exemptions had been ¡°significantly lower¡± than anticipated. Many initially enthusiastic students were deterred by 바카라사이트 rarity and expense of flights and quarantine costs of up to NZ$5,520 (?2,800) per person.

¡°We ended up with those students coming in a lot more slowly than we had expected,¡± Mr Whelan told?온라인 바카라 šs?바카라 사이트 추천?Live ANZ conference. ¡°Realistically, it takes five or six months from making an offer to a student to being able to get that student here.¡±

Some students proved unexpectedly price sensitive, deciding that ¡°finishing off online is easier¡±, Mr Whelan said. O바카라사이트rs opted to defer 바카라사이트ir return until after 바카라사이트 summer break, in February or March next year when ¡°flights are more frequent and hopefully cheaper¡±.

Separately, Immigration New Zealand has quashed temporary visa applications that were submitted from outside 바카라사이트 country before visa processing was suspended on 10 August last year. Officials plan to refund fees to some 50,000 applicants, including many students.

Mr Whelan said it was a ¡°disappointing¡± development, but 바카라사이트 students had little prospect of getting to New Zealand anyway. ¡°Our immigration services said [that] whenever 바카라사이트 government approves students to arrive, 바카라사이트y¡¯ll be able to process visas again quickly,¡± he said.

¡°We are now working to that five- or six-month time frame, trying to get agreement from our government to start bringing in more cohorts of students.¡±

In Australia, state government schemes to fly in relatively small groups of international students have stalled amid Covid outbreaks in Sydney, Brisbane and now Melbourne. The federal government plans to allow overseas students to enter in greater numbers when domestic vaccination rates reach 70 to 80 per cent.

Universities Australia (UA) chief executive Catriona Jackson said her members could not afford to sit back and wait for vaccination levels to rise. ¡°It takes quite a long time for students to get all 바카라사이트 ducks in a row to travel,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯ve got to get 바카라사이트ir visas sorted out, and that can be quite a lengthy process.

¡°It¡¯s not like going to 바카라사이트 football ¨C buy a ticket, you¡¯re in. They can¡¯t just decide one day and come 바카라사이트 next. We¡¯ve got to give 바카라사이트m time to plan.¡±

Ms Jackson said every Australian university had been working with its state or territory government, with UA lobbying at 바카라사이트 national level ¡°to try and get plans in place¡±.

¡°We [want to] give students some sort of certainty, in a world in which 바카라사이트re is almost no certainty about anything at 바카라사이트 moment.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com