COVID-19: Lifting travel restrictions for international students slated for consideration in July 2020

Last week, the Prime Minister announced Australia’s way out of the coronavirus pandemic after a meeting with of the National Cabinet, which if all goes according to plan, will see restrictions on international students coming to Australia lifted in July along and a “bubble” of approved travel between Australia, New Zealand and Pacific island nations.

Australia has been one of the more fortunate countries in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and in “flattening the curve” despite the unprecedented economic cost. In the Prime Minister’s media statement, a three-step roadmap to return society to some sort of normalcy was revealed.

In the roadmap to make Australia COVIDSafe by July 2020, it is only in step 3 that international travel will be considered. This includes an international travel bubble with New Zealand, who enforced even stricter lockdown measures, and other Pacific island nations yet to be named, but also allowing international students to enter Australia.

As State and Territory leaders are moving at different paces with lifting restrictions by allowing some activities and not others, a coordinated effort involving the National Cabinet reviewing each step every three weeks is promised. The Federal Government will, however, have the final say on international travel, both inbound for foreign nationals and outbound for Australian citizens and permanent residents.

As education is one of Australia’s largest exports, allowing international students to come to Australia is decision primarily to help Australia’s economic recovery and the struggling bottom lines of universities and other education providers. In his press conference, the Prime Minister alludes to the need to strictly quarantine students for a period of time, possibly at the student’s own cost.

There has been no news regarding lifting travel restrictions for tourists, which happens to be another of Australia’s largest exports, and this will rely on how Australia and the rest of the world fares in recovering. Given that outbound travel restrictions are likely to remain in place for some time, Australians can only dream of international adventure for the time being, with domestic holidays to fill the void created by the lack of overseas visitors.