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International students could return to studying in New South Wales as early as next month, according to a new pilot plan from the state government.
The NSW International Students Arrival Plan is a collective effort by education providers, members of the international education community and the NSW government to ensure the safe return of international students.
Its aim is to revive the billion-dollar industry and ultimately boost the overall economy.
State Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has noted “international education is our second most valuable export and we need to do what we can to help students return and revive this sector as quickly as possible”.
The industry-funded plan, supported by NSW Health and NSW Police, will enable 250 international students to travel to Sydney per fortnight from July, in a gradual approach that will help all involved to avoid compromising community health, the treasurer explained.
Students who are looking to study on Australian shores will be triaged based on a range of criteria and their individual situations, with priority given to higher-degree research students.
By the end of the year, Mr Perrottet hopes to increase the allocation to 500 students per fortnight, with all student allocations in addition to the current returning Australians allowed into New South Wales each week.
“We will continue to bring back 3,000 people per week — well more than any other state,” Mr Perrottet flagged.
Upon arrival, students will be sent to purpose-built student accommodations that adhere to the same health and quarantine requirements as all incoming travellers, with all travel and quarantine costs to be shouldered by education providers and returning students.
The NSW International Students Arrival Plan has been submitted to the federal government for final review.
The Property Council of Australia (PCA) has expressed their support for the program, highlighting its benefits for “mum and dad” businesses and the broader community near major universities, which have previously heavily relied on international students.
According to Property Council NSW executive director Jane Fitzgerald, the proposal is “the blueprint to resuscitate Australia’s third-largest export — education — and help cement Australia’s economic recovery”.
She said: “It’s great to see [international student] return has become a state priority.
“Activating this plan is entirely consistent with the NSW government’s excellent management to date of the COVID-19 pandemic and there is no doubt that this plan could be safely and thoroughly implemented.
“Combined with the game-changing vaccination program, this is the circuit breaker we need to further shore up confidence in quarantine arrangements so we can safely reopen our borders with confidence.”
In addition to boosting small businesses, the return of international students will also improve the demand for greenfield homes in NSW and, therefore, boost property and construction jobs, according to the PCA.
“This sensible and measured plan should be seen as the first step in inoculating NSW from longer-term economic damage and a means to protect the jobs of even more of the half a million people in NSW who make up the property industry,” the executive director added.
In 2019, the international education sector in NSW catered to 250,000 students and provided an estimated value of more than $14.5 billion.
It’s believed that the sector successfully supported over 95,000 jobs across the state.
Since the pandemic required international border closures, the NSW government estimates an impact of $1.5 billion per month for the state, which is ultimately contributing to the slower economic recovery of the CBD.
Mr Perrottet concluded: “If we don’t act fast, students will turn to other overseas destinations and it could take the sector decades to recover.
“This is a crucial sector for NSW and Australia, and we will work with the Commonwealth and education sector to achieve the best outcome.”
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