All fully vaccinated Australian student visa holders will have the opportunity to return to the Australian campus from December of this year. They no longer need to apply for a travel exemption.
For indian students like Paramjot Singh, it’s something he’s been looking forward to for 20 months now. Last year seemed like a mess, but he’s determined to stay positive.
Below we ask this postgraduate student from Edith Cowan University (Joondalup Campus) what he thinks about this long-awaited news for Australian student visa holders and his plans for the future once he will be in the Netherlands:
485 visa holders are still in limbo, many of them have their visas expired and cannot travel to Australia.@AlexHawkeMP have made the concession promise several times but nothing has yet announced with date and time. Days, weeks and months have passed, still waiting # extend485visas https://t.co/yv2wIVME5P
– Australian Temporary Visa Holders (@TempVisaHolders) November 24, 2021
How long have you been locked out of the country while on an Australian student visa?
I have been in India since March and stayed there for 20 months.
What do you think of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent statement about students entering Australia?
For holders of a student visa, this brings a lot of hope. There are new students waiting for borders to be lifted in Australia, so universities and colleges are getting new enrollments.
What more can you do to inform yourself and prepare for your return?
As I hold a student visa with a temporary graduation visa, I hope that the extension of my visa that was wasted during the pandemic and not my fault.
What has your educational background been like so far?
My journey has been great because I have a distinction in many subjects.
What are you most looking forward to doing in Australia besides your academic work?
I used to play football in college, so I want to join my team again.
