South Australia stops accepting students from three Vietnamese provinces

The South Australian Department of Education has temporarily stopped accepting applications from high school students in three provinces: Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh.

Responding to VnExpress on February 5, the state's Department of Education said the decision was made after reviewing the hometowns of some students who left their boarding houses without permission.

"This decision is in line with the Education Services for Overseas Students Act, to maintain the integrity of the Australian visa system," a Department of Education spokesperson said, adding that other applications from Vietnam would be considered as normal.

Earlier in January, a Vietnamese student named Sunnie Nguyen, 17, was reported missing by her landlord after dinner with her backpack, clothes, laptop and identification documents. Sunnie’s phone was turned off, and her social media accounts were deactivated. This is the fourth case, after three other Vietnamese students in South Australia disappeared since December 2023.

According to the Department of Education, there is no information or evidence to suggest that the students are in any danger. Police said the students “appear to be actively hiding from the authorities,” and said they are working with other agencies to locate them and ensure their welfare.

Sunnie Nguyen, 17, was reported missing in Adelaide, Australia. Photo: DM — Sunnie Nguyen, 17, was reported missing in Adelaide, South Australia. Photo: DM

Mr. Nguyen Duc Quyet, CEO of Rightway Study Abroad and Migration Consulting Company, said he received information from the South Australian Department of Education a few days ago. Every year, he consults on applications for many Vietnamese high school students but has never seen such a strong decision from the Department of Education.

"The incident has negatively affected students in the three provinces who truly wish to study abroad," said Mr. Quyet. He explained that the South Australian Department of Education manages all public schools, from Grade 1 to Grade 12. In the visa application to Australia, international students must be accepted by a school here and receive an invitation letter. Therefore, with this decision, even if they have a qualified relative in South Australia to sponsor them, students from Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Quang Binh will not be able to apply for an invitation letter until further notice.

According to statistics from the Australian Department of Education, as of October 2023, there were more than 31,600 Vietnamese students in this country, ranking 6th in the number of international students, after China, India, Nepal, Colombia and the Philippines. This number includes students in both high school, university, college, vocational training programs or English language studies.

To apply for an Australian student visa (visa 500), international students are required to have a letter of acceptance from the school, health insurance, a declaration of consent from a parent or guardian (if under 18 years old), a letter explaining the purpose of study and the ability to stay or leave after completing the program, and some other documents. If they change their residence, they must declare their new address within 7 days, otherwise their visa will be cancelled.

Doan Hung

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