Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF

Immigration Page 1 of 27

South African ELT schools ramping up operations after early border opening

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the first phases of the country’s border closures on 15 March 2020. Travel has been heavily restricted in the months since and...

UK will end ID card entry for EU juniors in 2021

As of 1 October 2021, students will no longer be able to use EU, EEA, or Swiss national ID cards to enter the UK and will require a...

Japan eases restrictions for international travellers, including students

Making a direct link between economic recovery and international travel, the Japanese government has moved to ease border restrictions in October with a further opening of borders anticipated...

Malaysia orders universities online and restricts foreign student entry

Malaysia’s universities were scheduled to fully reopen on 2 October. On that same day, and in the face of rapidly rising COVID counts, the Ministry of Higher Education...

New Zealand to allow first international students to return this year

The government of New Zealand has been rightly lauded for its approach to protecting citizens during the pandemic, and this has included an almost-total shutdown of the country’s...

Australia approves pilot to bring international students to Northern Territory

Australia has announced a second, federally approved pilot to bring international students back into the country under tightly controlled conditions, including two weeks of mandatory, supervised quarantine. There...

Canada to open border to international students

Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marco Mendicino announced on Friday that the country would re-open its borders to international students as of 20 October 2020. Effective that...

US administration plans fixed-term limits for international student visas

The US administration, through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has released a proposal for a new rule that would fundamentally change the visa regime for international students...

US revokes over 1,000 Chinese students’ visas due to national security concerns

Over the past three months, the US government has revoked the visas of more than 1,000 Chinese students who it deems to be “high-risk graduate students and research...

UK announces early opening of new international student immigration route

The UK government has announced that an immigration route for international students that was planned to open in January 2021 will now open on 5 October 2020. The...

Canada expands post-graduate work permit eligibility for students impacted by COVID-19

Updated 26 August guidance from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) includes three important announcements for international students. Through 30 April 2021, IRCC is now allowing students to...

Canadian immigration guidance creates uncertainty for incoming students

Through its immigration policy and directives throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Canada has distinguished itself as a progressive and welcoming destination for international students. In the early weeks of...

First approved pilot aims to bring hundreds of Asian students to South Australia

About 300 Asian students will return to Australian universities this September as part of a pilot programme intended to be a step towards revitalising the country’s international education...

US eases travel restrictions for European students

The US effectively closed its borders to international travellers in mid-March, but a July announcement from the US State Department eased those restrictions for some visitors from Europe....

ICEF Exchange podcast: Reopening visa services for the ELT sectors in the UK, Ireland and Malta

Our podcast series continues today with a special focus on visas. It is fair to say that visa processing has been one of the biggest issues in student...