New South Wales stops accepting students from some provinces of Vietnam

Australia : New South Wales State stops accepting students from some central provinces into public high schools (grades 1-12).

On March 15, responding to VnExpress , the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education said it made this decision due to the recent increase in visa non-compliance by students from some central provinces of Vietnam.

In addition to suspending the processing of new applications, the Department will report the incident to the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Government. The list of affected localities will be reviewed by the agency in the future, but no specific date has been given.

"We appreciate Vietnam as an international education partner and Vietnamese students in NSW schools. We intend to continue this close partnership," a spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education stressed.

Several study abroad and immigration consultancy companies said they received information from the NSW Department of Education a few days ago. The four provinces with international students affected are Quang Ninh, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Nghe An. The agency said it would refund the application processing fee (AUD 295, equivalent to VND 4.8 million) that students paid for the April and July intakes this year.

NSW is the second state to suspend admission of Vietnamese students to public schools. In early February, South Australia announced it would stop accepting students from Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Nghe An after four Vietnamese students there were reported missing. According to authorities, there was no information or evidence to suggest the students were in danger and they “appeared to be actively hiding from the authorities.”

James Ruse Agricultural High School in NSW. Photo: LinkedIn James Ruse Agricultural High School — James Ruse Agricultural High School in NSW. Photo: *LinkedIn James Ruse Agricultural High School*

Professor Tran Thi Ly, an international education expert at Deakin University, Australia, said that the restrictions on high school students in South Australia and NSW stemmed from the disappearance. The students were suspected of trying to escape to stay.

This is happening in the context of Australia wanting to cut the number of international students. However, in general, Vietnam is still the leading market for this country's schools, so there is no need to worry.

"Vietnam is a fairly reliable market for universities, with most students being hard-working and good students. The relationship between Vietnam and Australia has also been warm in recent times," said Ms. Ly.

As of October 2023, there were more than 31,600 Vietnamese students studying in Australia, ranking 6th in terms of international students. This number includes high school, university, college, vocational or English language students. Of which, the largest concentration of Vietnamese students is in Victoria (about 13,400 people), followed by NSW (11,500 people).

For the general education system, to apply for a visa, students are required to have an invitation letter from the school, pay health insurance, have a consent form from parents or guardians, a letter explaining the purpose of study and the ability to stay or leave after completing the course, and some other documents. When changing residence, international students must declare the new address within 7 days, otherwise the visa will be canceled.

The country’s Ministry of the Interior said that about 19% of international students were denied visas in the second half of 2023, the highest in three years. For Vietnamese students, the rate was about 16%.

Doan Hung

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