International students unlikely to arrive in Australia until 2022

The pace of vaccine rollout in Australia suggests that international students are not likely to arrive in Australia until Q1-2022. Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge told a press conference in April 2021 that, “With the vaccine rollout under way, I am increasingly hopeful that student arrivals in larger numbers will occur by semester one of next year." He added that Australia’s educators should invest more in online methods of delivery in the future rather than relying on international students studying on Australian campuses.

All Australian institutions that host international students, are dealing with massive losses in the form of student enrolments, revenues, and staff jobs because of the country’s closed borders. 164,000 of visa-holding international students remained stranded overseas as of January 2021 because of Australia’s closed borders. Australian universities have enrolled 210,000 fewer international students in 2021 than normal. Only 360 international students arrived in Australia in Jan 2021, compared with 91,250 who arrived in January 2020. University revenues fell by AUS$1.8 billion (US$1.4 billion) compared with 2019, with loss for 2021 projected at AUS$2 billion. More than 17,000 jobs have been lost across the industry.