SI & PNG agree to harmonise student visa arrangements

Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela and his PNG counterpart Peter O’Neil

PRIME Minister Rick Houenipwela has successfully submitted to his Papua New Guinea counterpart Peter O’Neil to harmonise visa arrangements for our students.

The Prime Minister raised with his PNG counterpart that the current visa arrangements whereby student visas are obtained in Port Moresby has caused a lot of inconvenience to Solomon Islands students and has affected their studies.

Therefore, the Prime Minister has requested to his PNG counterpart to consider returning student visa arrangements to Honiara.

As such, PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neil has accepted Prime Minister Hou’s request to harmonise the current arrangement so that student visas can be obtained at the PNG high commission office in Honiara rather than in Port Moresby.

“This is one of the areas that have affected our students and I thank you Prime Minister for taking into consideration our concern that had been affecting our students,” Hou said.

Hou has also raised the issue with the timely disbursement of student allowances of our sponsored students under the TESAS scheme to his PNG counterpart which Mr O’Neil has agreed to consider and address.

These are welcoming news for our students.

–OPMC PRESS

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