dpa/GNA – New Zealand will allow 1,000 international students to return from April, more than a year after the country closed its border to guard against the coronavirus pandemic.
Students who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when Covid-19 border restrictions began would be able to return, education minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement Thursday.
The exemption is for students studying at degree level or above and priority will be given to students who are closest to graduation, Hipkins said.
Hipkins said the students would have to pay for their stay in a mandatory two-week managed isolation facility on their arrival into the country.
“Our top priority continues to be the health, safety and wellbeing of all people in New Zealand,” Hipkins said.
A cohort of 300 students would be welcomed in April, with remaining students returning throughout the year as managed isolation availability allowed.
Students would also need to be able to support themselves in the country, with living expenses required for international students to be granted a visa raised to 20,000 New Zealand dollars (14,359 US dollars).
New Zealand’s border has only been open to residents and citizens and those who qualify under a handful of exemptions since March 2020.
