Hong Kong students salute special deal ‘in their hour of need’

The international student industry has welcomed the Morrison government’s special deal for Hong Kong students in the wake of China’s security crackdown.

Hong Kong visa holders in Chatswood, Sydney, who are applying for visa extensions as they are fearful of returning to their homeland due to the deteriorating situation. Picture: Ryan Osland

The international student industry has welcomed the Morrison government’s special deal for Hong Kong students in the wake of China’s security crackdown that will give them a favoured pathway to permanent residency.

Scott Morrison’s announcement will immediately benefit the 10,200 Hong Kong citizens who hold Australian student visas, including 2300 stranded outside Australia by coronavirus travel ­restrictions.

The students will be eligible for a five-year temporary graduate visa that enables them to stay and work in Australia after they complete their degrees.

This compares with the usual two-year post-study visa that all international students are currently eligible for if they complete a bachelor or master’s by coursework degree, or three years if they have studied at a regional ­university.

“The Prime Minister is to be commended for providing support to students in their hour of need,” said Phil Honeywood, the chief executive of the International Education Association of Aus­tralia which represents the international student industry.

Hong Kong students who have already graduated and have remained in Australia on an existing temporary graduate visa will receive an even larger benefit.

They will “be eligible for an extension of five years from today in addition to the time they’ve already been in Australia,” the government said.

At the expiry of the five-year temporary graduate visa, Hong Kong students will be offered a pathway to permanent residency in Australia.

The new rules will also apply to future students from Hong Kong, which will give them a strong incentive to choose Australia as their country of study in the highly competitive international student market.

Even though two key competitors, Canada and Britain, are ready to accept student arrivals for the start of the northern hemisphere academic year in September, international students are unable to enter Australia and it is not clear whether they will be able to arrive for the commencement of studies next year.

Mr Honeywood said the generous conditions being offered to Hong Kong students were “a ­reminder that students are still able to travel to, and study in, ­competitor countries” in spite of COVID-19.

“They (student visa holders) are still waiting for re-entry to Australia,” he said.

Australian universities and ­vocational colleges are also waiting for the Morrison government to announce a package of visa changes to help those international ­students who, because of COVID travel restrictions, have had to remain longer in Australia and have seen their student visas expire.

The government’s visa changes are expected to reduce or waive the fees for them to replace their visas.

The package will also help international students who have been stranded overseas and are studying online.

Under current rules, they are not be eligible for a temporary graduate visa enabling them to remain in Australia after completing their course because the terms of the graduate visa require them to have studied here.

The student visa changes, to be announced soon, are expected to allow students stranded overseas to also be eligible for the temporary graduate visa.

On Wednesday, the Australian National University and the University of Canberra announced that the outbreak of COVID-19 in Victoria had caused them to postpone their plan to bring in 350 international students later this month.

“We always said we would only undertake this program when it was safe for our students, our campuses and the wider community,” said ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt.

“This is not an end to the program — just a delay.

“We remain committed to ensuring our students can continue their studies back in Australia when the time is right,” Professor Schmidt said.