Education New Zealand welcomes New Zealand border reopening for international students
Education New Zealand Manpau Ki Te Ao (ENZ) welcomes the government’s announcement to reopen New Zealand’s borders. This is a positive step for international education.
The announcement outlines a five-step process for reopening the border from 28 February 2022, primarily for New Zealanders to return from Australia and then from the rest of the world.
The government has announced fourth border exception classes for up to 5,000 international students entering New Zealand from April 2022 to study in the second semester of this year, in addition to the previous groups approved in 2020 and 2021.
Normal visa processing will resume from October 2022, enabling international students to enroll in New Zealand to study in 2023.
ENZ chief executive Grant McPherson said today’s announcement was an important step towards restructuring a strong and sustainable international education sector. “Boundary reopening measures are outlined today, enabling the international education sector to gradually open up to existing teams by 2022, with a much larger team entering New Zealand to study before semester two.” Further details of the new student body will be determined by the Ministers of Education and Immigration and timely advice will be given.
Mr. McPherson said innovation and diversification in the online learning and delivery of offshore courses, including the Pathway program, over the past few years, will continue to be a feature of the industry as it moves forward. Today’s announcement also paves the way for New Zealand students to resume international studies abroad in the future.
“All New Zealand educators value building international partnerships and developing new ways to meet student needs. These are important building blocks for future resilience and quality education outcomes.
“In addition, from 14 March 2022, students entering New Zealand through Border Exception Teams will have the opportunity to self-isolate instead of going through Managed Isolation and Quarantine Facilities – subject to all necessary health and border requirements.”
Mr McPherson emphasized the importance of seeking advice before proceeding with an application for registration. Students who have questions about these border class exceptions should first contact their agent or preferred education provider.
Students can also visit the NauMai NZ, which provides useful information for New Zealand international students or for preparing to travel to New Zealand.
Good day!