July 31, 2022, will witness the complete re-opening of the international education industry of New Zealand with the opening ofinternational borders. Along with this, the government will bring changes in post-study work rights.
The reopening of New Zealand has beendivided into stages betweenOctober 2021 andJuly this year. This has also brought certainty to the minds of the existing and prospective international students. The students were tensed and worried about being unable to enter the country. Now, they can join academic programmes in New Zealand in late 2022 or at the beginning of 2023.
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The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Arden declared that New Zealand is in demand and is now fully open to business. There will be significant changes in the immigration processes and visa extensions. A new green list'of hard-to-fill roles will be created which aims to attract and retain highly skilled workers in the skill shortages areas such as healthcare, engineering, trade and tech.
The Minister of Education, Chris Hipkins, said that more than 5,000 international students already confirmed entry as a part of the previous border exemptions and they will be in the country by mid-July. From the end of July, the students who will meet the normal enrolment criteria can come to study in New Zealand.
The government in order to attract genuine students to the country has brought changes in its policies. The students who are enrolled in non-degree level courses will no longer have post-study work rights. They will get opportunities only if they are filling specified shortages and skilled occupations. The government is also planning to restrict the length of post study work opportunities to mirror the length of their studies.
The students who have studied for 30 weeks in the country in other areas will not be eligible for work for up to three years in New Zealand. However, master's and PhD students will have the right to work in the country for three years. Hipkins declared that New Zealand will not go back to the nationals volume over value approach.
The chief executive of Universities New Zealand Chris Whelan said that their organization had been fighting for the early border opening for a long time. He also acknowledged that the government has acceded to their demands of setting the updated cost of living funds required to study in New Zealand at NZD 20,000 per year. Any cap higher than that would have deterred students from studying in New Zealand. Mr Welan welcomed the new international student strategies to boost the education sector.
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International students enhance the diversity and richness of the campuses of New Zealand and contribute to the workforce. International student enrollment in New Zealand this year is at 30% of its pre-covid levels. The universities of New Zealand are ranked in the top 500 and provide a welcoming environment to their students.
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Source: The PIE News
