Government Policies, Travel Restrictions, & Visas

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As countries try to control the spread of the coronavirus, governments have enacting different measures limiting the movement of people.

 

These measures can affect students in several ways. Travel restrictions may limit the movement of students between countries while visa offices have closed in China preventing students from gaining the document necessary for travel. At the same time, governments have created policies with specific regard to international students (such as an automatic extension of student visas for those already in-country).

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The following outlines changes in immigration, visa, and travel policies for Chinese students in key destination countries:

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Mainland China 

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On March 26, 2020, the Civil Aviation Administration of China ordered that Chinese airlines are limited to flying one route to/from any​ given foreign country no more than once per week. Foreign airlines are allowed to fly one route into China per week.

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In addition, airlines have also self-imposed cancelations of flights to and from China. Combined, these measures have made it difficult for Chinese nationals to return to China.

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At the time of outbreak, official figures showed 1.6 million Chinese students were studying outside of China. As of April 2, 2020, 1.4 million still remained abroad.

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On March 26, 2020, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that it was temporarily suspending entry of foreign nationals with visas and residence permits.  

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As of June 17, 2020, China's policy has remained largely unchanged. With the only expection being in Shanghai, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Shanghai Municipality Government has issued two channels – a normal channel and a fast track channel – to facilitate the entry into China of employees essential for business operations.

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The fast track channel is only applied to employees of companies whose country of origin has signed a fast track agreement with China.

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Various countries’ embassies and chambers of commerce have been negotiating with the Chinese government to establish fast track channels. By far, China has signed fast track agreements with Germany, France, South Korea, UK, Japan, and Singapore.

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Australia

 

The Australian Government announced on March 19, 2020 a travel ban for all non-residents and non-citizens of Australia effective as of 9pm AEDT March 20, 2020. This requirement is applicable to all international travellers until further notice and remains in effect as of mid-June 2020.

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The Australian Embassy and Consulates in China continue to operate and provide consular services including visa processing, although processing times may take longer than normal. The Australian government has created a dedicated website for international students found here.

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Canada

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As of June 8, 2020, foreign nationals who are immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, who do not have COVID-19, signs or symptoms of COVID-19, have no reason to believe they have COVID-19, will be permitted into Canada if they are entering for an essential reason, and will remain with the immediate family member for a period of at least 15 days. All arrivals must still observe a 14-day quarantine. This change does not apply to the immediate family members of those on temporary (student) visas. 

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As of April 29, 2020: International students with a valid study permit or approval for a study permit issued on or before March 18, 2020, are exempt from travel restrictions. 

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Online courses won't affect student Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) eligibility. Students can complete up to 50% of their program from outside of Canada. 

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International students providing essential services are temporarily permitted to work 20+ hours/week. 

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The Canada Emergency response Benefit (CERB) is providing temporary income support of $500CAD/week for up to 16 weeks for qualifying international students. 

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Source: Government of Canada.

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Ireland​

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ICOS states that "All international students whose visas are due to expire between March 20, 2020 and May 20, 2020 will have their visa permission automatically renewed for this period.

 

"Where an English language school has closed due to Government advice regarding COVID-19, all international students will be considered to have met their attendance requirement.All other rules will remain in place and students will be required to renew their registrations as usual.

 

"International students on a Stamp 2 visa may work up to 40 hours per week while schools and colleges are closed because of the pandemic. International students who are working part-time should check if their job category is considered to be an essential service. See this link for details.

 

"INIS has announced a new temporary arrangement for eligible international students who have completed their studies and are planning to avail of the Third Level Graduate Scheme Visa (Stamp 1G)."

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Phase 2 of Ireland's plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions commences on 8 June 2020. The most important point of which, for international students, is that "All non-essential overseas travel to and from Ireland should be avoided. Passengers arriving from outside the island of Ireland are expected to self-isolate for 14 days.".

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New Zealand

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As of April 27, entry into New Zealand is allowed only for citizens and residents except for very limited circumstances.

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Students may face difficulty when applying for visas. Although Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has increased its visa processing capacity, many of its offshore offices (including Beijing) remain closed. For existing applications, Immigration New Zealand faces limited processing capacity but has announced that it will prioritize processing for full-fee paying student visas and post-study work visas.

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For students already located in New Zealand whose visas will expire between April 2 and July 9, their visas will automatically be extended through September 25, 2020. Affected students should receive email communication about their extended status.

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United Kingdom

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The UK Home Office has stated that: "No individual of any nationality whose leave has expired or is due to expire between 24 January 2020 and 31 July 2020, and who cannot leave the UK because of COVID-19, will be regarded as an overstayer or suffer any detriment in the future".

 

Make sure students keep any evidence for themselves, for example, screen shots or other notifications of cancelled flights, and information about entry restrictions for the country they need to travel to. This is particularly important they you need to make an immigration application in the future, when they would usually have to declare any periods of overstay and may need evidence of what caused it. 

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Most visa application centres outside the UK are closed, but some are now re-opening, depending on local restrictions. The first phase of re-openings took place from 1 June and the Home Office has said that the following application centres are set to open from 22 June: Changsha, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Kunming, Nanjing, Shenyang, Shenzhen,Wuhan, Xi'an. Check which centres have actually opened again using the links in the Home Office guidance.

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United States

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Currently, Chinese students may be unable to travel to the US due to travel restrictions and limitations of consular services. 

 

On January 31, 2020, President Trump signed a proclamation suspending entry of non-US citizens and non-permanent residents who have been physically present in China within 14 days preceding entry into the United States. This proclamation went into effect on February 2, 2020 and was reiterated in a subsequent proclamation on May 24. As of June 15, the suspension remains in effect.

 

On February 3, 2020, all U.S. Embassy and Consulates locations (Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang) canceled existing appointments for nonimmigrant visas, including student visas. These offices remain closed. The US Department of State has said it will resume routine visas services “as soon as possible,” but, as of June 15, specific dates and information had not been released. However, U.S. Consulates have made available expedited appointments to students whose, "purpose of travel is to begin or resume a valid program of study in the United States within 60 days when no regular visa appointments are available." This policy allows new and returning students to apply for visas as long as they apply within 60 days of their program start data and have not been denied a visa in that last six month.

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