The Australian Government has also announced changes to student visas to ensure international students aren’t any more disadvantaged by the impact of COVID-19 to their studies and visas.\u00a0You can read more about those announcements here.<\/a><\/p>\n Absolute Immigration was pleased to host a panel of international students from a range of Melbourne institutions to provide their insight and opinion on the impacts of COVID-19 on their lives.<\/p>\n Our line-up consisted of eight insightful international students: Ashutosh Upadhyay, Dixit Arora, Lauren Angela Ortega, Helen Xu, Priscilla Isabel Chikerema, Alex Vu, Nicholas Ong, and Peter Labang.<\/p>\n Moderated by Absolute Immigration\u2019s migration administrator, Malaika Khattak, we sought to understand and empathise with the impacts COVID-19 has had on one of the most affected groups in Australia. As an immigration consultancy, we are in a privileged position to be able to share these thoughts with our audience who can see for themselves what a sample of Victoria\u2019s international students are going through in the midst of COVID-19.<\/p>\n We began our discussion by touching on the general impact COVID-19 has had on our panellists\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n Ashu and Alex, two international students who decided to remain in Australia during COVID-19.<\/em><\/p>\n What do you feel are the major impacts?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ashutosh (animation student):<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u201cwork from home \u2026 is the main thing affecting me\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This has had a big impact on other students who need to attend university for practical classes, such as biology students.<\/p>\n Peter (law student):<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve been studying at libraries for my whole degree [and now] lack the self-discipline to study at home\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n Both Helen and Peter lost their jobs due to the consequences of COVID-19, Helen in particular felt lucky to be supported by her parents back home in China.<\/p>\n Helen<\/strong>:\u00a0\u201c[But] not all parents can afford \u2026 the fees for international students\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n Many people who have planned and saved to send their children to Australia to study have now also lost work in their home country as a result of COVID-19 and can\u2019t afford to continue paying fees or supporting their children. And for those who do want to return to their home countries being able to afford the cost of the flight is another issue.<\/p>\n What strategies are you using to cope with the impacts of COVID-19?<\/strong><\/p>\n Given the atypical circumstances, we asked our panel about some of the strategies they adopted to cope with the change.<\/p>\n Lauren<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0\u201cMaking a timetable [helped to] feel like everything is normal\u201d, as well as going out and exercising.<\/em><\/p>\n During isolation, she said her motivation was \u201cto be a better person after this\u201d, since this was \u201csomething that is out of [her] control\u201d.<\/p>\n Helen felt that staying home was normal but restricted in general, where she felt she was losing and wasting time, where time management is important for online study. To combat this, she looked to online courses held by universities around the world to \u201clearn something different\u201d.<\/p>\n Communication became key for many of us during the pandemic. Ashutosh noted that talking to parents was a helpful mechanism for him.<\/p>\n Has the $1,100 Emergency Relief Fund helped?<\/strong><\/p>\n The panel occurred in the wake of the government\u2019s relief fund for international students. The payout was a one-off payment of $1,100 to eligible international students.<\/p>\n Our panel had mixed reactions to the announcement.<\/p>\n Dixit noted it would not be enough for living circumstances, where Alex and others thought it would ultimately depend on how long lockdown would go on for.<\/p>\n The nature of the selective payout was also noted by Helen, lending to the mixed reactions.<\/p>\n Have you received any other support?<\/strong><\/p>\n Besides the support announced by the government, other avenues of support were available for students to help with the financial burden of COVID-19.<\/p>\n Lauren reached out to her university to apply for financial support , noting that her \u201cuniversity\u2019s support \u2026 [was] really fast\u201d.<\/p>\n Helen<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0\u201cSome of my friends trapped in China \u2026 still have to pay rent\u201d in Australia but \u201ccan\u2019t get any penny\u201d for support from the government \u2013 \u201call fees covered by themselves\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n Dixit\u2019s other housemates have lost their jobs where \u201cmost of [them] are casuals\u201d. For his current job, it took him eight months to find it before being stood down during the pandemic, being told he would have to wait. Yet, unlike his other friends, he is confident that he will still have a job after the pandemic, as assured by his employer.<\/p>\n He also expressed concern about \u201cparents having issues to send money\u201d. \u201cWhat will we do?\u201d he asked, if there is no income supporting students and parents are burdened with sending money. He equated $1,100 to rent, the phone bill, and two weeks\u2019 groceries. Dixit also looked into releasing his superannuation but was told that if he gets his superannuation, his bank will then close his account.<\/p>\n Dixit<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0\u201cThe pandemic is making me realise who is helping [us] and who is not.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Dixit was \u201cnot sure if [the Government] would help us\u201d but \u201cafter [being told to \u201cgo home], I felt so offended\u201d. Paying so much for university, Dixit believes he \u201ccould have started a business back home\u201d instead.<\/p>\n Ashu<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0\u201cTelling us to go home, that hurts the most.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Lauren highlighted the need for more than just financial support, \u201c[students are] here and also struggling\u201d and \u201cwe don\u2019t need just financial help\u201d, \u201cempathising with us is already good enough\u201d.<\/p>\n Deciding to stay or go?<\/strong><\/p>\n Although there was a lack of choice to leave the country due to the closed boarders, we asked our panel whether they thought staying in Australia was indeed the better option.<\/p>\n For Peter, \u201cit depends on how long this whole thing goes on\u201d \u2013 \u201ca month or two, it\u2019s better to stay\u201d in Australia, but in the long run going back home would be cheaper in regards to bills and rent.<\/p>\n For Dixit going home isn\u2019t really an option. He is in the last year of his Bachelor\u2019s degree and as he\u2019s studying a practical degree studying online and not physically going in to university isn\u2019t really an option.<\/p>\n Dixit<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0\u201cAll of a sudden I\u2019m doing it virtually and I don\u2019t have access to those resources\u201d and \u201cmachines that only university can afford\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n Although some of our panel had been asked by their parents to return while borders were still open, Ashu noted that there would be a \u201cproblem in getting back\u201d to Australia and thus would affect any subsequent studies.<\/p>\n Lauren\u2019s mother suggested going home at first given that everything is online but thought that \u201cstaying in Australia is the best\u201d for her now.<\/p>\n Helen also added her friends\u2019 have attempted to go back home, and although they could purchase tickets, they were continuously cancelled (one friend had tried to get four tickets).<\/p>\n Where we are now<\/strong><\/p>\n Although borders are still closed to most non-citizens and non-permanent residents, the ACT will begin accepting international students in July, with the possibility of other states following suit. This is in light of the massive loss in income universities are currently suffering and will continue to suffer without the presence of international students in Australia.\u00a0The ABC notes statistics from Mitchell Institute that predict Australia could experience a $40-billion loss by 2023 due to the absence of international students in both Australian universities and the Australian economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n To address this massive deficit, as of 20 July, the government has announced that it\u00a0will recommence granting student visas for international students in a bid to reinvigorate international education in Australia.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Student_photos-1.png\" "\\"\\"")
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