Hipkins targets students from the Americas
Education Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to the US and South America as the education sector readies itself to welcome back thousands of international students.
On Wednesday, the Government announced a full opening of New Zealand’s border from July 31. For the education sector, it means students from across the globe can return.
Throughout the pandemic, while some students have been able to apply to study in New Zealand, far fewer have been eligible to study here. Before Covid, international education was worth $5 billion each year to New Zealand’s economy.
Hipkins said the sector would not operate in the same way as it had during the pre-Covid days. With the border announcement, the Government also confirmed changes to the work eligibility of students in undergraduate and sub-degree level qualifications.
He said the changes to work requirements would close the door on education being used as a ‘‘backdoor to residency’’. Students in nondegree level courses would no longer be able to work in New Zealand after graduating, he said. There were also changes to work rights for students studying bachelor-level qualifications. They would only be able to work in New Zealand, after graduating, for as long as they had studied in New Zealand. Hipkins said these changes would ensure New Zealand’s reputation among international students was on quality education.
Yesterday, he announced plans to travel to start on a trade mission to the US and South America in late May. He will then visit Chile and Brazil in early June, as part of promotions to restart New Zealand’s international education sector.
He also confirmed work was starting to refresh New Zealand’s International Education Strategy, and that the Government had decided to continue to allow international fee-paying students at the primary and intermediate levels to continue studying in New Zealand.