Updated on August 23rd, 2021

After months of speculations, since March 2020, when the Australian borders are closed because of a health crisis caused by COVID-19 to everyone except citizens and permanent residents, everyone is regularly asking a question. When will borders reopen for international students? Undoubtedly this question is also costing 40 billion dollars to the country’s economy. Uncertainty is everywhere, although government officials, students, Universities, agencies, and other bodies estimate it differently. Given figures suggest that over 100, 000 international students are waiting outside Australia, including India. And they are wandering every day to fly back to Australia and join their studies.

South Australia’s plan

On 16^th August 2020, the Australian government announced a pilot program under which the government is planning to reopen borders for approximately 300 international students who will arrive in South Australia. The federal government also gave a green signal to plan. Under this plan, these students will be from South East Asian countries like Singapore, Japan, China, and Hong Kong. After reaching Adelaide, they will remain in 14 days quarantine period. Universities will pay for the cost of quarantine.

Another plan of South Australia

Now we are at the end of July 2021 and under a newly approved student arrival plan for South Australia, a dedicated quarantine hub in Adelaide will host up to 160 students. South Australia approved the new “quarantine hub” and they expected it to become operational in the second half of 2021. 

On similar lines, another quarantine hub proposal for New South Wales is in the last stages of review. If it happens, it will be a significant step for students. Two in five (38%) international students who come to Australia choose to study in NSW.

Conditions are safe for quarantine

Education Minister Alan Tudge said the South Australia hub, which is to be based at Parafield Airport, met all standards. And “won’t take any quarantine places from Australians returning home”; returning students will be outside of overall “caps” on returning travellers for the state.

Institutions and students will be responsible for the costs of flights and quarantine. Incoming students will quarantine for 14 days and take daily COVID-19 tests.

South Australia’s Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier, who first approved the plan in May, said the quarantine facility is “ideal”:

It is single ground floor units, there’re no corridors basically, so it’s very well ventilated. It’s ideally set up for a student cohort because that’s actually what we normally use the facility for.

There are so many other factors on which the actual answer depends. The Australian government is trying to control the situation. Any further outbreak of COVID in any part of the country can create risk and all planning may get further delay.

As mentioned earlier, this question is costing 40 billion to the country, the government should come with a more effective way out to revive the economy. Students will travel and undergo medical tests and also quarantine. Delay in the opening will cause further loss to the economy. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, while talking to the media, mentioned that Australian borders would not reopen at least the end of the year but on the other side. Universities have taken applications, and similarly, immigration has also started accepting visa applications.

Hope that students can resume studies

In this scenario, if someone planning to study in Australia, he has to start the process, taking English tests like IELTS or PTE, collecting relevant documents. As a prospective international student, you can predict to join studies in the first intake in 2021. But this is again an estimate as there is no official announcement yet.

Let’s hope for the early reopening of borders for students and other travellers.