The NSW Vice-Chancellors' Committee has welcomed the NSW Government's announcement to allow a small number of international students to return to NSW in the later months of 2021.
"After more than 18 months of planning, we are delighted that both the Federal and State Governments are supportive of an incremental reopening of our borders to international students," said the Convener of the NSW Vice-Chancellors' Committee, Professor Barney Glover AO.
"This has been a collaborative effort and we thank the Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney for leading the State's economic recovery and enabling the safe reintroduction of our international students to our local communities as part of the broader NSW roadmap.
"We will be ready to go once the lockdown in NSW ends with the state reaching the 70 per cent vaccination target," said Professor Glover. "In the meantime, universities continue to work closely with government on the logistics and are following public health advice regarding the Delta outbreak."
The Convener emphasised that international student arrivals will not impact the capacity for Australians looking to return home through Sydney: "This pathway is industry led and funded, and it is important to note that students will still be required to complete 14 days of quarantine in government supervised purpose-built student accommodation," Professor Glover said.
"We know the pilot is small in scale, but it is a critical milestone that will allow us to test and refine our plans and processes before committing to a full return. We want to ensure a safe return for all our international students as well as keep our community safe. The pilot will be evaluated after the first two flights with the view to scaling up as quickly as possible thereafter.
NSWVCC MEMBERS:
Australian Catholic University Australian National University Charles Sturt University Macquarie University Southern Cross University
University of Canberra University of Newcastle University of New England University of New South Wales University of Notre Dame
The University of Sydney University of Technology Sydney University of Wollongong Western Sydney University
