Highlights
- Lack of employment opportunities increases problems for International students
- International students are struggling to meet daily expenses, afford food
- Government aid is proving to be insufficient
But 24-year-old Rahul (name changed) feels he may not be the only one.
Thousands of international students are doing it tough at the moment.
When Rahul came to Australia for higher studies last year, he did not imagine that he would face such a crisis.
"Due to the pandemic, there are no jobs in the market. We are struggling to pay our rent and grocery expenses", he says.
International students are allowed to work part-time in Australia. Many among these international students are employed in the hospitality and retail industry which have been hit hard in the pandemic.
"Before Covid-19, I used to work part-time and was able to afford my rent and daily expenses. In February 2020, when I lost my job, I was helped by many organisations and volunteers who came forward to help us by providing food and groceries," he says.
"Sydney is an expensive city and without a job, I did not know how to afford house rent. At that time, a friend told me about a scheme introduced by the New South Wales government.
"Students were being provided with free accommodation under this scheme, which provided immediate relief to many like me. I was lucky my application got approved but now, from next month this scheme is ending," he says worriedly.
The NSW Government is funding up to 20 weeks of free accommodation for vulnerable international students in NSW during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Rahul says the situation is such that every aid is proving to be insufficient.
"Decreasing corona cases may be a good sign, but we still have to wait for things to get back to normal again. I need a job to survive this," he says.
International education contributed $37.6 billion to the Australian economy in 2018-19.
While government support has been provided to permanent residents and Australian citizens, temporary visa holders such as international students are not eligible for government aid.
In April, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, those in Australia who are under various visa arrangements and cannot support themselves, "there is the alternative for them to return to their home countries".
"Australia must focus on its citizens and its residents to ensure that we can maximise the economic supports that we have," he said.
Since then, various state governments have extended support to students.
(With inputs by Mosiqi Acharya)
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