With the Spring Festival approaching and the reopening of China's borders on January 8, many friends who have not returned to China for many years have bought plane tickets and prepared to spend the Spring Festival with their families.
In order to allow everyone to return to China smoothly, recently, the embassy and consulates in New Zealand have sorted out the "Guidelines for Epidemic Prevention and Control of Travelers to China" and nucleic acid test certificate requirements.
01
The Chinese Consulate General issued a guide before returning to China
On the 14th, some Xiaohongshu netizens posted a post to remind everyone to do a good job of nucleic acid before leaving, but some netizens left a message below saying that some airlines were allowed to board without checking the nucleic acid report.
* Xiaohongshu netizen Yunshui Zenxin
However, on the 15th, the Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in New Zealand issued the Notice on the Requirements for Epidemic Prevention and Control of Travelers to China, reiterating the requirement of nucleic acid before 48 hours of travel, and it is recommended that everyone prepare in advance.
1. Remote testing: nucleic acid test within 48 hours before boarding, only those with negative results can go to China, and those with positive results should go to China after turning negative. Please keep your negative test result and bring it with you for inspection.
2. Customs declaration: After obtaining a negative nucleic acid test result, fill in the "People's Republic of China Exit/Entry Health Declaration Card" through the WeChat mini program "Customs Passenger Fingertip Service", the handheld customs APP or the web version (https://htdecl.chinaport.gov.cn) to make the declaration.
3. Boarding inspection: The airline will check the negative nucleic acid test certificate within 48 hours when the passenger boarding, and if the passenger cannot show it, he will not be allowed to board.
4. Epidemic prevention on board: Please insist on wearing masks during the flight, do a good job of personal protection, and reduce the risk of infection.
5. Entry quarantine: After arriving at the port, complete the necessary customs clearance procedures with the customs health declaration code. Customs will spot check the negative nucleic acid test certificate 48 hours before boarding. Those whose health declaration is normal and there is no abnormality in routine quarantine at the port may enter the society. Persons with abnormal health declarations or fever and other symptoms shall be tested by the customs. Those with positive test results shall be quarantined at home or in residence or seek medical treatment in accordance with the requirements of the notice. If the result is negative, the Customs shall carry out routine quarantine in accordance with the Border Health Quarantine Law and other laws and regulations.
6. Territorial epidemic prevention: Passengers should strictly abide by the requirements of territorial epidemic prevention and control after entering the country.
Nucleic acid test certificate requirements
1. Contain the name of the person being tested (which should be the same as the name on the travel document used on the flight to China), preferably indicating the date of birth and the number of the travel document.
2. It contains the following test information: test time or report issuance time (at least one time is within 48 hours before boarding), test method (should be nucleic acid test, antigen test is not accepted), test result (should be negative, "uncertain" and "gray area" results are not accepted), name and contact information of the testing institution.
3. The official language or English of the place of departure of the flight to China shall be used and inspected by the airline operating the flight to China.
4. For paper reports, if the testing institution issues an electronic report, please print and bring it.
02
New Zealand universities consider
Charter flights for Chinese students returning to New Zealand
Some friends want to return to China, but there are still a large number of international students who are ready to return to New Zealand.
Because of the inability to buy air tickets, New Zealand universities began to consider charter flights for Chinese students.
Chris Whelan, chief executive of Universities New Zealand, a New Zealand industry union, said they were looking at what help should be provided to international students returning to New Zealand.
"For example, we know that at least a few thousand students in China have applied for visas to come to New Zealand, but most of the flights they have to take are actually full."
"So we're seeing if we can get more seats on the airline."
In fact, as early as December 2022, the New Zealand International Education Promotion Agency organized two "air ticket group purchases" for Chinese students.
Many international students studying at the University of Auckland received emails from the school in November and December this year, saying that the New Zealand International Education Promotion Agency provided air ticket booking services for Chinese students in mid-to-late February 2023.
And through the New Zealand International Education Promotion Agency to book air tickets, flights from Shanghai to Auckland, the price including tax only ranges from 5400-5850 yuan, compared with the same period of nearly 10,000 yuan or even more than 10,000 yuan to return to New York, this price is really very affordable.
At present, the two-round air ticket booking activity has ended, and many international students are still difficult to buy tickets back to New York.
"So we're already negotiating around this matter: whether we can accommodate more seats for international students." ”
New Zealand's Ministry of Education said that before the pandemic, international education was the fifth largest industry contributing to New Zealand's GPD, injecting nearly $5 billion into the New Zealand economy. However, New Zealand's border closure due to the pandemic has dealt a huge blow to the study abroad industry, with more than 100,000 people coming to study in New Zealand on student visas in the year to June 2019, while only 25,000 people have received student visas since the reopening of New Zealand's borders.
But Geoff Bilbrough, communications manager at the Ministry of Education, said he was "optimistic" about the return of international students, despite the challenges.
"Students come for a quality education, a New Zealand living experience... The food, the culture, the outdoors and the academic success they can achieve here. That's the best thing about us. ”
Dr Erik Lithander, Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Engagement at the University of Auckland, said the University was optimistic about 2023, predicting that 2023 would be even better than before the pandemic.
"We are looking for a faster recovery than expected," he said.
"But we can't be too confident unless we start to see international students actually coming to campus, because there could be a lot of variables between now and then."
03
Good news! More places will allow IELTS single subject retake!
China will also implement ...
In November last year, Melbourne, Australia, took the lead in implementing One Skill Retake.
Single retake means that if candidates do not get their ideal score the first time, they can choose to retake one of the four skills of listening, reading, writing or speaking.
Christine Nuttall, of the University of Cambridge's Publishing and Assessment Department, said the introduction of single-subject retakes was in response to the needs of candidates.
"We recognize that in exams, candidates perform poorly for a number of reasons."
"IELTS individual skill re-exams can improve fairness if test takers believe that their performance on previous tests is not representative of their true language ability. They will be given the opportunity to retake the exam. “
At present, IELTS single subject retake is only applicable at Melbourne IDP test center, the registration requirements are: you need to have taken IELTS A or G type A or G computer-based test at the Melbourne IDP test center, if you are not satisfied with a certain score, you can choose to take the single subject retake within 60 days of the first test.
IELTS retakes will be conducted on a computer-based basis and at the end of the test, candidates will receive a new TRF with the option of using the old or new TRF.
At present, the cost of retaking IELTS is 259 Australian dollars (about 1110 yuan), which is a cost-saving, stressful and less expensive choice than the full test price of 395 Australian dollars (about 1694 yuan).
It is reported that in addition to the Melbourne IDP test center, the single subject retake will be launched in more Australian test centers at the beginning of this year.
In addition, from March this year, Indian test centers will also allow IELTS single subject retake.
China will also launch One Skill Retake in the future.
Robert Yu, director of business development for Chinese examinations at the British Council, said at a live event: "It is certain that China will also launch One Skill Retake, but it will require some preparation period in the operation of the landing, and I believe that there will be a clear release of this policy at the right time." ”
However, New Zealand does not currently have any plans for One Skill Retake, but if you need to, fly to Australia next door to take an exam?
At present, a number of visas in Australia, as well as many universities around the world have announced the acceptance of IELTS single subject retest results, do you think this is a plus?
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