New Zealand to Welcome International Students from Early 2022
With New Zealand’s announcement of the 5-step process to reopen its borders for international students, universities and international students can both breathe a sigh of relief. As per the announcement, NZ will be completely open for international students starting 2023.
Welcomed as a “positive step”, the 5-step border opening plan set by New Zealand is set to resume the normal student visa processing starting October this year. According to the plan, under a border exception class, 5,000 international students are expected to be permitted to enter New Zealand in April.
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao, the move back to “usual visa processing” will help students pursue higher education in the country from 2023.
Chris Hipkins, COVID-19 Response Minister stated that New Zealand will become one the most vaccinated and boosted countries in the world as the borders start to reopen. He also added that “the COVID-19 Protection Framework will be well-established in helping to manage COVID-19 outbreaks.”
According to news reports, New Zealanders travelling from Australia will be the first to enter starting 27th February, followed by nationals from other countries starting 13th March. The third step in the process includes 5,000 places reserved for international students travelling to New Zealand starting 12th April.
Grant McPherson, ENZ Chief Executive, stated that New Zealand will be able to open its borders progressively throughout 2022, first for the existing cohorts, subsequently allowing a larger international student cohort to enter before the second semester. Throughout, 2020 and 2021, the government took initiatives to bring in a few international students under border exception classes.
Citing it as a “much-needed certainty”, both for universities and the prospective international students, Universities New Zealand also sided with the move, stating that international students patiently waiting offshore have now received their answer.
Chris Whelan, Universities New Zealand Chief Executive, while expressing his relief on the announcement acknowledged that while some international students would be able to attend their second semester in New Zealand, the number is still a small fraction of the actual number waiting to enter the country.