A new survey by the Migrant Worker Justice Initiative of more than 6000 international students has found, almost a quarter experienced verbal racist abuse during the pandemic and 25 per cent said people avoided them because of their appearance.
The research conducted in July also reveals the extent of their financial hardship.
Seventy per cent have lot their job and 32 per cent couldn't rely on family sending money.
Almost half couldn't pay rent, 42 per cent feared homelessness and more than a quarter ((28 per cent)) couldn't pay for food.
It's no surprise then that a third of those surveyed were forced to turn to emergency support and charities to survive,
But it's set to get worse, more than half expect their financial situation to deteriorate this year with a third saying they'll run out of funds by next month.
And you can keep abreast of the latest information about the corona virus in your language at sbs.com.au/coronavirus
