A number of students have been experiencing visa rejections in the US due to fears of military espionage. Global learners who graduated from universities that are associated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are usually the most affected by this policy. During the Trump regime, at least 500 students have been rejected. Meanwhile, Joe Biden is said to have given no indication of what actions to take regarding this. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, on the other hand, has filed complaints against the policy and appealed to make changes.

Canada has seen an exponential rise in the number of Indian students applying for and receiving student permits to study in the first quarter of 2021. Out of 90,607 applicants, 67,456 are now Canada-bound, 83% more than in all of 2020. Based on this trajectory, it is likely that Indian student applications will surpass the 174,538 recorded for 2019. The 19% rise in applications from India in 2021 compared to the same period in 2020 is in stark contrast to the 25.3% drop in international student applications to Canada from all other sending countries. Some believe that Canada’s postgraduate work program (PGWP) is partly responsible for attracting so many Indian students to the country.

The Universities UK International (UUKI) and the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), along with research from London Economics, published a study about the costs and benefits of international higher education students to the UK economy. The data showed that incoming international students contribute roughly £28.8 billion to the UK economy. This far outweighs the costs to public services such as healthcare.

The Virtual European Higher Education Fair (EHEF) 2021 invites Filipino students, academicians, researchers and university officials who want to pursue their educational aspirations in European higher education institutions. Participating universities come from Poland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Austria, Finland, and Sweden. The Virtual EHEF 2021 is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, together with EU Member States' Embassies, education services and Institutes and in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education.

The Morrison government has granted a contract to an international IT company, Accenture, for new digital passenger declarations. This is seen as a huge development towards vaccine passports for international travel. This will replace the current passenger cards and COVID-19 travel declaration for both outbound and inbound travel as Australia--one of the countries with the strictest border control amid the pandemic--is cautiously easing restrictions as vaccination rates rise. International students are seen to be among the beneficiaries of this development.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at a news conference that the level 4 lockdown for Auckland will be extended until September 21. The announcement followed the report from health authorities of 33 new COVID-19 cases of the Delta variant in the city on September 13. Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with 1.7 million inhabitants. Ardern further announced plans to ease some restrictions after September 21, but schools, offices, and public venues will remain closed.

Dr. Rajika Bhandari is the author of “America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility.” As an international education success story herself, she shared in the book and in this interview her thoughts on how global learners are an asset to the United States. Dr. Bhandari also talked about the impact of the pandemic on foreign students and the “transformative” power of education.

Despite the recent uptick in visa approvals, Indian international students face significant obstacles in coming to Canada because of the extension of the travel ban for India and Pakistan to September 21. With no direct flights from India, students have to pay significantly more for tickets. Most also have to bear the costs of government-mandated quarantine, although some institutions commit to shouldering the cost of that requirement. The lack of work and scholarship options further exacerbates the financial situation of many Indian students.

India's foreign minister has urged Australia to ease coronavirus travel restrictions for thousands of international students who have been unable to return to the country since the pandemic started. In response, the Australian foreign minister said that only after the Australian government vaccinates its citizens to a certain level can it decide on allowing foreign students to return to Australian campuses. Australia maintains that they are enthusiastic about welcoming Indian students back but need to prioritize curbing COVID-19.

Singapore’s local universities are looking to resume overseas student exchange programmes from January 2022. Students travelling for overseas programmes must be fully vaccinated. They must also complete a compulsory travel preparedness module and will be briefed before going abroad. Most importantly, students will only be allowed to travel for overseas programmes to countries that are “deemed safe” by the Ministry of Health.

Myanmar international students that are still in Australia plea for an extension in their visas. These students are worried about being arrested by the hostile military when they return to their home country. As a response, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has announced that Myanmar nationals in Australia on temporary visas may apply to extend their stay until it is safe for them to return home. Several students who are still in the country have already graduated and their visa validities are near expiry.

International students enrolled at universities in Northern Cyprus have been struggling to enter the area due to new quarantine measures. Northern Cyprus has imposed restrictions in August, under which international students, depending on their country of origin, will have to stay in a “central quarantine’ facility.” Particularly, students who will come from Dark Red Countries (or countries with high active coronavirus cases) will only be able to enter the country on the condition that they spend 14 days in central quarantine which costs around US$640. As a result of the new protocol, many students who cannot afford the fees have been stuck at airports, with some others deported to their home countries. 

Right at the heart of the picturesque town of Sackville, New Brunswick, is Mount Allison University, a liberal arts and science university primarily for undergraduates. Mount Allison University has been recognized 21 times as the top undergraduate university in Canada by Maclean’s in the past 29 years. The university offers a number of degrees in the liberal arts and science fields. Its education is research-based and provides students with opportunities to learn from and work closely with experts in their field. The university offers the unique ability for students to customize an interdisciplinary and holistic education that suits their interests. Mount Allison University prides itself on having a low student-to-faculty ratio that helps cultivate meaningful interactions between professors and their students who come from over 50 countries around the world.