Students to NSW

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perottet this morning confirmed the state will begin the first stages of opening up to inbound international students by the end of the year, with plans to restart the higher education sector now finalised as part of the state’s roadmap to reopening.

Accommodation provider Scape will house returning students for a 14-day quarantine period in the Sydney suburb of Redfern, in a building retrofitted to accommodate up to 650 people under COVID-safe standards approved by NSW Health.

The staggered return of students is stage one of a pilot which will “slowly expand and evolve, as vaccination rates continue to rise in NSW and internationally,” said NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro.

“The international education sector sustains thousands of jobs across NSW, and I’m proud that NSW is leading the way with the return of international students to our shores”.

The trial will see 500 international students return to NSW on chartered flights, paid for by the students, by the end of the year, with participating education providers to contact prospective arrivals to gain expressions of interest for the pilot scheme which has also been endorsed by