More Delays for International Students.
13 November 2020: Mr Morrison has stated that the Australian government will continue to put Australian citizens and permanent residents before other visa holders wanting to come to Australia.
This will result in further delays in bringing overseas students back into Australia.
The PM made this media statement after the national cabinet meeting on Friday. “The challenges we have in getting Australians home means the ability to move and take international students back at this time through quarantine arrangements does not present itself. It’s Australians coming home first,” he said while addressing the media after the national cabinet meeting on Friday.
It is estimated that there are about 135,000 international students who are still enrolled, but are stranded outside the country.
There have only been 300 international student arrivals between April and October.
Many students appear to have no other choice but to complete their Australian studies online.
In October, Stuart Ayres, the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney made a statement saying that NSW was getting ready to begin bringing international students back to NSW early in 2021, depending on adequate quarantine facilities.
“With appropriate quarantine arrangements in place, there is no reason we can’t aim to have international students back in NSW for semester one 2021.”
Unfortunately NSW, along with the other States still has limited quarantine facilities.
The PM did confirm that the student pilot programs, one in NT and another in SA, which are in their final stages, will not be impacted.
They presumably have separate quarantine facilities set up.