Two flights touched down in Melbourne and Sydney this morning (Sunday, 21 November), returning fully vaccinated travellers from Singapore without undergoing quarantine.

Universities Australia Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said the travel bubble with Singapore saw the first international students enter Australia since small numbers returned in November last year.

“Universities have worked closely with Government and health authorities for more than 18 months on plans to safely welcome back our international friends. Around 130,000 international students remain outside Australia, and they are all very eager to re-join their classmates,” Ms Jackson said.

“Those who arrive on Australian soil today will be joined in December by around 500 returning international students as part of an initiative by New South Wales.”

“We understand these initial numbers are small, but they are a clear signal of the intent to allow many more students to return to classes and our communities soon.”

“National consistency on return arrangements is very important and, as a nation, we have work to do on that front. Universities understand the uncertainty felt by international students around how and when they can return, and we pay tribute to their resilience and loyalty during almost two years separated from their campuses.”

“We’re confident that today’s arrivals are just the first of many to return, at scale, for the start of first semester next year. Until then, we warmly welcome those students who returned today.”