Authors: Dong Xing, Joshua Boscaini and Emilia Terzon (Click to read the original article [www.abc.net.au])
Interview guest: Kirk Yan (Director of Newstars Education & Migration Melbourne branch, MARA-registered migration agent with years of in-depth experience interpreting and predicting migration policy changes, Editor of the Australian Migration Weekly, affectionately known as “K-God” by students.)
Key highlights:
- More than 40,000 Chinese students need to urgently return to Australia to resume in-person study
- China’s Ministry of Education has released further details on the policy measures
- University institutions say this abrupt decision will pose challenges for students who have not yet obtained a visa or secured accommodation
- Australia’s Minister for Education and Minister for Home Affairs are working with universities to address “short-term logistical issues”
Ms Zhang, from Guangdong province in China, is studying finance at the University of New South Wales online. She is eager to reach Australia before the semester starts on 20 February to complete her final semester.
She says her biggest challenge is finding housing.
“My life plans have been turned upside down,” she said. “I had originally planned to do an internship in a city back home — I’d already lined up the internship placement and sorted out a place to live.”
“Now I have to cancel everything and arrange to return to Australia immediately.”
On Saturday, the Chinese government made the surprising decision to ban all Chinese university students from continuing to attend overseas universities online, with just weeks to go before the start of semester.
This means more than 40,000 Chinese students like Ms Zhang need to quickly return to Australia to resume in-person study, in order for their qualifications to be recognised in China.
Matthew Brown, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Group of Eight Universities (Go8), told ABC that following the announcement, the country’s leading universities were eager to obtain more information.
Dr Brown said this unexpected directive would have a “massive impact” on the 100,000 Chinese students studying at Australia’s top eight universities.
“We have been planning for students to return to campus this year… but to have this announced suddenly overnight, without any prior warning… it has certainly raised concerns,” Dr Brown said.
He said this “blunt” decision would affect students who had not yet obtained an Australian visa, had not arranged flights, or were looking for accommodation in Australia’s already tight rental market.
“You can imagine… this will put pressure on students to return to Australia, which is not necessarily a bad thing in itself — it is just short-term pressure,” he said.
“I think working through all of these details will be very painful for students.”
The Property Council of Australia said the rapid return to in-person study would put further strain on Australia’s already pressured student accommodation sector, with some capital cities expected to have zero vacancy rates this year.
China’s Ministry of Education explains further details
After China’s new directive triggered concern among international students, the Ministry of Education’s Study Abroad Service Centre released a Q&A document on 29 January to clarify the policy details.
- Students who have already chosen online study and cannot change their enrolment should “retain the relevant supporting documentation issued by their institution and submit it together with their certification application to ensure the certification process proceeds smoothly. If your studies are not completed this semester, you must return to campus on time for the following semester.”
- Students whose semester has already started and who have not yet obtained a visa or booked flights “may continue to attend online classes while completing the relevant procedures. If your visa is not granted in time, your flight is cancelled, or you are unable to book accommodation, it is recommended that you retain relevant supporting documentation such as your visa appointment record, proof of flight cancellation, and correspondence from your accommodation provider, and submit these together with your certification application.”
- Students currently in their final semester are advised to “confirm the remaining study arrangements with their institution and complete their studies in accordance with the institution’s requirements. If it is not possible to switch to in-person study, it is recommended that you retain the relevant written supporting documentation and submit it together with your certification application.”
- The Study Abroad Service Centre also noted that qualifications awarded to students whose institution offered no in-person classes and ran entirely online programmes have never fallen within the Centre’s certification scope.
“The international student market enters the post-pandemic era”
ABC understands that Australia’s Department of Education has welcomed the news from China.
A statement from the department said the Minister for Education and the Minister for Home Affairs are working with universities to address the “short-term logistical issues” arising from this decision.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that prior to the pandemic, more than 260,000 Chinese students enrolled at Australian universities in 2019, generating close to AUD$13 billion in revenue.
A representative from Melbourne Airport told ABC that Chinese airlines had reported a surge in enquiries from students wanting to travel to Australia.
There are currently dozens of flights per week from China to Melbourne, and that number is set to increase soon as Air China and Sichuan Airlines resume their services to Melbourne.
Before the pandemic, approximately 150 flights per week arrived in Australia from China.
The airport representative said that although ticket prices are higher than before the pandemic, they expect students to start booking flights to Australia very soon.
Melbourne-based migration agent Kirk Yan told ABC that student visa applications had increased over the two days since the directive was issued.
Mr Yan said that while some students would be affected, this was a positive development.
“In the long run, I think this is a good sign — the international student market is entering the post-pandemic era,” he said.
“More and more students and parents will gradually come to understand this new policy and will prepare accordingly.”
“It will be a scramble”
Phil Honeywood, Chief Executive Officer of the International Education Association of Australia, said the Chinese government had long been reluctant to accept online learning exceeding in-person instruction.
Mr Honeywood said the Australian government would need to redirect resources to “move heaven and earth” to process more Chinese student visas and get more students back to Australia.
“It will be a scramble, but our universities are ready,” he said.
If you have any questions about migration to Australia, you can add Kirk on WeChat for a consultation
