University route to PR: Hongkongers aged 30-49 apply to study in Australia, taking families with them
- Australia’s new migration pathways result in more Hongkongers applying to universities there
- New trend emerges of mature students applying for visas, planning to take dependants with them
There has been a sharp rise in the number of middle-aged Hong Kong residents applying to pursue higher education in Australia and hoping to relocate their families there, according to latest data from Canberra.
Between November last year and January, 155 people aged 30 to 49 applied to study in Australia and take their dependants with them, a 57 per cent rise from 99 in the same period last year.
For more than a decade, there were only about 30 applicants in this age group over that period each year.
The trend followed Australia’s announcement of new pathways to permanent residence (PR) for Hongkongers after Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.
According to details unveiled last October, holders of temporary graduate visas or temporary skills shortage visas who have lived in Australia for three to four years may apply for PR from Saturday.
The PR visas are granted to those who have completed their studies or worked on a temporary visa and lived in Australia for three to four years, enabling them to remain with PR status, paving the way for them to apply for citizenship after a year.
According to education consultants, Hongkongers who started studying in Australia in 2015 and 2016 and stayed on from 2019 would be the first batch to benefit from the new route to PR.
