Higher education sector pushes for firm date on return of international students to Canberra

The territory government will not submit a final plan for international students to return to the federal government, and is working off the expectation international borders will reopen by the beginning of the next academic year.

International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) chief executive Phil Honeywood said this left the return of international students to the ACT "on a wing and a prayer".

"By choosing not to do that, the ACT government has gone outside of the national cabinet-agreed process and really is on a wing and a prayer that that process won't count when borders magically open for the whole of Australia," he said.

The territory last week announced international students who were fully vaccinated with a TGA-recognised COVID-19 vaccine could return to Canberra's universities at the start of the 2022 academic year.

Quarantine will not be required in the ACT for those students.

"The ACT government is working on the expectation the international border will be open in 2022," an ACT government spokesperson said in a statement.

"If the Australian government requires a formal plan for the return of students in 2022, we will work with the tertiary sector on submitting one, noting any requirements will be those set by the Australian government."

Mr Honeywood said students wanting to get back to Canberra had been left in the dark without the return plan.

"To my mind, that's just letting students down because students are sitting back there in their home countries saying, 'Well, hang on, what's the situation with Canberra? Can I come back, do I plan to come back for first semester or don't I'?"

"Whereas at least in NSW, South Australia, Victoria and now Queensland, they can really see that there is a staged opening happening."

Four Australian states have submitted and approved their plans with the federal government, enabling NSW and Victoria to move to bring back international students by the end of the year.

With a $756 million drop in international student revenue in 2020, universities are desperate to draw back this cohort.

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Australian National University, which saw an $80 million drop in international student revenue in 2020, hoped to have 3600 international students back in Canberra next year, while the University of Canberra planned to bring back all of its 650 offshore students.

Both institutions said they had worked closely with the ACT government to progress plans to bring back international students.

Their plans now hinged on a decision from the federal government on reopening the international border for non-citizens and residents.

"We've been encouraged by recent developments around travel and quarantine," an ANU spokesperson said in a statement.

"But the fact remains international borders are still closed to international students and clarity on when they will reopen to these students will be very welcome."

University of Canberra vice-chancellor Professor Paddy Nixon echoed those concerns.

"To allow students to plan for a semester 1 start in 2022 a decision needs to be made and announced as soon as possible on border reopening," he said in a statement.

Prof Nixon said he understood the federal government needed to consider a range of issues in order to come to a decision but strong vaccination rates "combined with the commitments made in the national plan provide increased confidence that the international border will open soon".

"We hope that it is not too long until a firm date is able to be provided to students," he said.

The NSW plan will see 250 international students return to the state each fortnight from early December. Victoria is also aiming to see some students return by the end of the year.

Queensland is looking to the beginning of next year to bring back students, while a South Australian plan to bring back 160 students at a time had been postponed since mid-year due to outbreaks.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education, Skills and Employment said that is was working closely with the ACT to facilitate students' return to Australia but confirmed on Wednesday "the ACT has not provided a final approved international student arrivals plan to the Australian government".

"Approval of the international student arrival plans is the responsibility of the state or territory chief health officer and first minister," they said.

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