Key Points
- Australia allows visitor visa holders to enrol in short-term schooling while they are here.
- Many Chinese parents find short-term Australian schooling has multiple benefits for their children.
- There are currently 728 temporary international students in Victoria.
It’s school holiday time in China. From July to August, students take a two-month break to travel or just relax at home.
In early July, seven-year-old Mason Liu packed his luggage for a trip to Australia.
Only that he was going there to start school again.
On 10 July, the first day of this year’s third school term in Victoria, Mason started his six-week study as a Year One student at Camelot Rise Primary School in Glen Waverley, Melbourne.
His mother, Tracy Ni, says her “eyes lit up” when she first learnt that Australian schools are accepting international students on a visitor visa to study in Australia.
“It’s not like a traditional overseas camp. Studying with local Australian students gives children an immersive experience of Australian culture and education,” she tells SBS Chinese.
Mason Liu enrolled as a Year One student at Camelot Rise Primary School in Glen Waverley, Melbourne, in July. Credit: Tracy Ni
SBS Chinese understands that there are currently 728 temporary international students in Victoria. The highest number of students come from China, India and Vietnam.
How's this possible?
Some years ago, Australia began offering visitor visa holders (Subclass 600) a chance to get a taste of local schooling for a maximum of three months.
To be a visitor visa student, the applicant needs to apply through state-run programmes or contact their chosen school either themselves or through an education agent on their behalf.
Eligible candidates are allowed to study in Australia for a minimum of eight weeks.
A shorter period of study is also possible if the applicant reaches an agreement with the school.
Tracy Ni says it has been a rewarding experience for her son to experience different cultures in Australia. Credit: Tracy Ni
The top three source countries of such enrolments in New South Wales are China (40), the Philippines (14) and India (9).
When Ms Ni shared her experience on the Chinese social media platform, Xiaohongshu, the post received more than 8,000 engagements within days.
She then set up several discussion groups which now have more than 2,000 members and thousands of Chinese parents showing great interest in taking their children to Australia for temporary study.
“This sounds amazing! I’d like to bring my kid to Australia during the next summer school holiday,” a user wrote.
Tracy Ni shared her experience online, the post received more than 8,000 engagements. Credit: SBS Chinese
But she says “it was worth it”.
My son experienced a different culture and style of teaching, and that was the biggest reward for me.Tracy Ni
Australian schooling made child ‘more confident’
On the same day as Mason’s first day of school in Australia, another Chinese girl from an international school in Shanghai, Yvonne Xu, also began a four-week program as a temporary Year One student in Melbourne.
When she finished at Heathmont East Primary School in Melbourne on 4 August, Yvonne's her mother, Ziqiao Sun, was pleasantly surprised to find her becoming “confident and outgoing”.
Ms Sun says that her daughter was a “shy little girl” in China, whereas in Australia, the seven-year-old volunteered to perform in public at the school assembly, which she had not expected at all.
Yvonne Xu's mother says she has become more confident after her short study experience in Australia. Credit: Ziqiao Sun
But Chinese schools tend to choose the best students to perform in public to avoid making a fool of themselves.Ziqiao Sun
Ms Sun says her experience in Australia has changed her plan for her daughter’s study abroad.
"We were thinking of sending her to the UK for high school, but now we might consider coming to Australia as it is very liveable for seniors as well," she says.
Ziqiao Sun says this trip to Australia has changed her initial plan to have her daughter study in the UK in the future like she did. Credit: Ziqiao Sun
What’s in it for Australia?
Debra Hayes is Professor of Education and Equity and Head of School at the University of Sydney’s School of Education and Social Work.
She tells SBS Chinese that the pros of welcoming short-term international students outweigh the cons.
"While there are clear issues of resource underfunding in public schools, the benefits of cultural exchange for local students as well international students could outweigh or balance the costs," she says.
In a response to SBS Chinese, the NSW Department of Education states that the benefits of enrolling visitor visaholder students in Australia include exposing local students to international perspectives, developing students’ intercultural understanding, communication and global citizenship, as well as enhancing interest in and understanding of global issues.
Angel Weisbach has been providing intermediary services for Chinese parents wishing to bring their children to Australia for short-term study since 2019.
She says when she emails schools, she recommends these short-term overseas students to them to be a part of an intercultural programme.
Angel Weisbach (second from right) says over 30 Chinese students have submitted applications through her for temporary study in Victoria this school term. Credit: Angel Weisbach
"For schools that can accommodate additional students, they would welcome us bringing in some cross-cultural programmes, which is important in the Victorian curriculum," says she.
Overcrowding already stretched resources?
While the idea of cross-cultural exchange programmes in schools is welcomed by many, some people have shown concern about how these temporary students may take away from the already tight local educational resources and also exacerbate the ongoing rental crisis.
A Victorian Department of Education spokesperson emphasises that "international students can only be enrolled after local student placements have been made".
Schools must provide enrolment opportunities to all local students residing within designated neighbourhood areas as a priority.A Victorian Department of Education spokesperson
The NSW Department of Education tells SBS Chinese that visitor visa students can get enrolled in the state’s public schools “only if the school has the capacity to accommodate the enrolment”.
“If a school is at capacity, visitor visa students must be referred to the next available school/s with capacity,” the department spokesperson adds.
A spokesperson from the federal Department of Education says that the government welcomes and encourages international students to study in Australia, and it currently has similar levels of international students as before the pandemic.
“Pressures on housing supply and accommodation are not driven by the number of international students, but rather investment in housing,” the spokesperson adds.
‘I’ll be back’
On 4 August, the last day of Ms Sun’s daughter’s Australian schooling experience, she received dozens of handwritten cards made by the whole class and the teacher, which was an unforgettable sweet memory for the family.
One of the farewell cards Ziqiao Sun's daughter received from the class she was studying with on her last day. Credit: Ziqiao Sun
"She told me she didn’t need to take pictures because she will be back next year."
“She has completely made herself at home here in Australia,” Ms Sun says.
