International students eager to return

BY YU CHEN

Chinese international students are concerned about whether or not they will be welcomed back to Australia, to continue their studies, once travel restrictions are eased.

A poll by The Advertiser conducted in South Australia revealed about 80 per cent of the respondents, who were residents of South Australia, did not want international students to return to the state. 

This has not sat well with students. 

Organiser of Study Local and Support Local, an initiative to help international students in Australia, Zhan Huang said he was surprised by the findings.  

“Eighty per cent is too much,” Mr Huang said. 

“I feel Australians don’t really understand international students. What they are waiting for and why they want to come back.”

A former international student himself, Mr Huang came to Australia from China three years ago. 

He started Study Local and Support Local in August this year to share stories from international students, and portray their involvement and importance of being a part of local communities.

Mr Huang said the stories international students shared help explain their suffering. 

A major concern for several of the students is their inability to plan for their future, as there is currently no fixed date for when they can return to Australia. 

This uncertainty is prohibiting them from applying for internships and making efficient use of this waiting period. 

University of Adelaide PhD student Bo Zheng, who has been in Australia for eight years, said hearing about the poll made her feel quite sad. 

“I have a sense of belonging in Adelaide more than any other city, even my own home,” Ms Zheng said. 

“I feel like I’m part of the Australian community.” 

While she understands the Federal Government needs to protect its citizens, the students are a part of the community too, she said. 

Ms Zheng’s scholarship, which is her only income, is currently on hold as she cannot do any lab work. 

She is currently living on her savings which have begun to run out. 

A pilot program proposed by the Australian National University of Canberra initially gave her some hope, but it never panned out in the end. 

“It’s frustrating to see that there is a hope. But actually, there is [not].”

The program was first introduced in June, postponed to July, brought back in August and paused in September. 

Sharing similar sentiments, 25-year-old Griffith University graduate Jade Li also joined the Study Local Support Local initiative in a bid to have her voice heard. 

“We are not the virus,” Ms Li said.

“And we can’t bring the virus to them.

“Also, we are willing to quarantine for 14 days when we arrive.”

Confused by the results of the poll, Ms Li said she has been paying $250 a week for her rent in Queensland since February, even though she has not been able to live there.

Given the current situation, Ms Li was forced to defer and has not been to the university for the past eight months, she said. 

“I don’t think I have another year to waste,” she said.

According to a report by SBS News, international students will return to Charles Darwin University for the November 9 intake. 

They will be spending two weeks in quarantine at a government facility in Howard Springs. 

As recent as October 7, the government has encouraged students who are offshore to continue studying online. 

Meanwhile, they are also working with educational institutions to create small-scale pilot programs to welcome international students back.  

“The Australian Government is committed to the return of international students to Australia when it is safe to do so, and careful consideration is being given to how and when that can happen,” a government spokesperson said. 

To support them, follow the Facebook page Study Local Support Local.