Some US universities and colleges have announced that they will require students to have a COVID-19 vaccine when they return this fall semester. As vaccines become more widely available, institutions would like to include it in their mandate as they hope to achieve herd immunity on campus which would allow them to loosen spacing restrictions in classrooms and dorms. Historically, colleges have long required vaccinations for infectious diseases. In a survey of about 100 four-year institutions representing all 50 states and Washington, D.C., nearly all required at least one vaccine for enrollment.

A coalition of immigration rights organizations has gathered in Montreal to demand an easier and faster track to permanent work status in Canada. Many of those who attended the demonstration are temporary foreign workers, asylum seekers, and international students who all want permanent status in Canada but say they feel the process is discriminatory. Most of them are working under strict contracts that prevent them from finding other jobs. They are asking for a more realistic expectation of French language proficiency by the Quebec government, standardization of private work placement agencies, better access to social assistance programs, and emergency benefits during the pandemic.

University students in Wales are unlikely to have summer graduation ceremonies for a second year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. No graduation ceremonies were able to take place in Wales last year and many universities had also hoped to hold delayed ceremonies for 2020 students this summer. Last month, some universities said they hoped their ceremonies could be moved to next year, while other institutions said they would look to reschedule the event when it is "safe and appropriate." The latest announcements mean tens of thousands of students will have to wait until at least 2022 before they can put on their caps and gowns.

About 500 Irish college students studying in EU countries that have been added to the mandatory hotel quarantine list are set to have their accommodation paid for by the State under new plans. The addition of five EU member states - Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, and Luxembourg - to the quarantine list has sparked alarm within the higher education sector due to the costs facing returning Irish students. However, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has stated that they are working on a €1-million plan to ensure the cost of mandatory hotel quarantine for Erasmus students returning to Ireland will be covered. Universities and students’ representatives have also voiced concern over the impact that mandatory hotel quarantine will have on the number of international students opting to study in Ireland.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the government is seeking advice from the medical expert panel on preconditions that are needed to be fulfilled to reopen Australia’s international borders. The primary aim is to assess whether they can allow vaccinated people to travel overseas and return without having to go into hotel quarantine. The prime minister also said that the decision to open international borders and allow more people to return to the country rides on how many Australians get vaccinated over time. Despite hearing this pronouncement, frustrated temporary visa holders stranded outside Australia demand a timeline to return.

Education New Zealand, the government body charged with attracting foreign students, has warned the Members of the Parliament that it will take 10 years to rebuild the $5-billion-a-year international education industry. They also said universities and polytechnics were expecting big deficits this year and would continue to suffer financially if they did not get a significant intake of foreign students. Moreover, the group explained that the industry needs to attract more high-value students and focus on those whose main goal was education, not immigration. Based on the current data, there is a potential for growth in enrolments from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

Several businesses at the Jersey Shore are struggling to fill positions that are typically held by international students because of backlogs in the visa program. Morey’s Piers hires 1,500 seasonal works each year-–a third of which are through the J-1 Visa student exchange program. But with the pandemic, many of these international students were not able to come. A ban on temporary visas, including J-1, was lifted on March 31, however, there is now a backlog. According to pier officials, if the students do not get their visas approved in time for the summer, some of the attractions will have to remain closed. They say the international students are a major help during the spring and late fall when local students are still in school.

International students are increasingly struggling with their mental health during the global pandemic. According to a report by the nonprofit organization One Voice Canada, international students are being pushed to the brink during the pandemic and the mounting pressures have led to a rise in death by suicide cases across Canada. The report highlights what it calls a disturbing trend of death by suicide cases among foreign students. It has revealed several factors contributing to the issue including high tuition fees and the existence of an “underground economy” where students are working illegally and being taken advantage of by employers.

After receiving no response from the Chinese government regarding the temporary visa ban on foreigners, medical students pursuing their degrees in Chinese universities have now approached the United Nations. In a letter signed by over 20,000 medical and graduate and undergraduate school students studying in universities in China, students have urged the UN to intervene in the matter. They are asking the organization to help lift border restriction which has left thousands of students stranded in their home countries for the past year. The recent statement released by the Chinese government still gives no clear deadline on when the entry restriction for international students holding study visas ends.

Amid the pandemic, international students in the US from Vietnam strictly adhere to social distancing measures and limit their social interactions. While they are cautiously following the pandemic protocols, many of them are dealing with medical expenses and health insurance concerns. The biggest worry for them is the expensive cost of medical treatment and care in case they catch the virus and do not have medical insurance to cover the medical bill. According to FAIR Health, the average cost of medical treatment for a Covid-19 patient who does not have insurance is around $51,000 for patients 21 to 40 years old. Hospitalization costs for uninsured patients under 20 years old average around $68,000.

The number of foreign students arriving in Malta to learn English has dropped by more than 80 percent in 2020. Data from the National Statistics Office show there were only around 16,500 students at local licensed English Language Teaching schools, down from more than 83,600 the previous year. The sector was among the first to feel the impact of COVID-19 last year, reporting cancellations from March 2020, a month before a temporary flight ban was introduced to curb the spread of the virus. Students from Germany accounted for the largest number (2,761) followed by France (1,760), and Italy (1,615).  

China has recently announced it will facilitate the entry requirements of individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine produced in China. But the announcement did not specify whether international students will also be included in this relaxation of measures. For quite some time now, international students enrolled in Chinese universities have been expressing their outrage at not being able to go back to China. They claim that all their belongings remain in dormitories including important documents, electronics, and valuables.

 

Founded as a teacher training school in 1957, Hilbert College is a now a private liberal arts college run by the members of the Franciscan order of the Catholic Church. Located on a 60-acre suburban campus in Hamburg, New York in the Buffalo Area, it consists of 11 buildings and several athletic fields. The college has 30 student-run clubs and organizations and it also has nearly 300 housing spaces in two residence halls and four campus apartments.

Hilbert College is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 800 undergraduate students. The college offers 17 bachelor's degree programs in a wide range of subjects from business management and accounting to forensic science and rehabilitation services. There are also master’s level programs available in public administration and criminal justice administration. Based on data, Hilbert alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $31,200.