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Oz yet to open borders for students, those stuck in India want passage back

MELBOURNE: When Nandini Gupta locked her apartment in Sydney on February 26, she told her friends she would be back in March. Her father had passed away in Ludhiana (Punjab) and Gupta planned to return after completing his final rites. Then Covid-19 hit and Australia closed its borders , leaving Gupta and several other students like her on a visit to India stranded.




“It’s an indefinite wait and now Australia has gone for another stringent lockdown. Mental and financial stress is taking a toll on me. I’m in India but I still have to pay rent of my apartment which is roughly AUD $500 (Rs 25,000) per month,” said Gupta, a masters student at Victoria University.

International students have not been able to travel back to Australia since March due to border closures. The country is allowing entry only to citizens, permanent residents and those with travel exemptions.

While no specific estimates are available on how many students are stuck in India currently, TOI had earlier reported that at least 8,000 residents of Australia — majority of them NRIs or students in Australian varsities — have registered with the Australian High Commission (AHC) to return. India is the second-largest source country for international students to Australia after China. In 2020, 73,900 Indian students had enrolled in higher education programs in Australia compared with 69,900 students in 2019. The number is much higher if vocational courses are also included.

Many take hefty loans to realise their dreams of an education abroad. But unlike Australia, it’s not easy for students to find part-time jobs in India or earn a decent amount in them. “Students choose to go to Australia and work part-time to manage expenses and many are able to save to pay off some of the loan amount. I have a loan of Rs 20 lakh that will start incurring interest from next year,” said a student at a Queensland varsity who has been stuck in India since March. “I haven’t been able to find a job but I still have to pay AUD $600 (Rs 30,000) per month for my accommodation in Queensland.”

Students are now dipping into their parents’ savings to meet expenses and said the financial burden is taking a mental toll on them. To add to their woes, online classes are also throwing up challenges. Students TOI spoke to said it’s difficult to collaborate on group projects with everyone now spread across time zones. This has forced some like Gupta to take a leave of absence — meaning she will complete the remaining credits for her degree in another academic year. Universities allow students to take leave of absence for up to two years for compelling circumstances such as medical issues, military service, natural disaster and poor academic progression.

Imran Paliza, a masters student at Central Queensland University, is also taking a leave of absence. “I was under a lot of mental stress. I found it hard to focus on classes since the time difference meant I had to get up at odd hours,” said the 24-year-old who had arrived in Palanpur, Gujarat in March to get a stomach infection treated.\



Divya Chopra, a masters student in a Sydney varsity, too, had to take a leave of absence this year as she had issues with internet connectivity back home in Sanour near Patiala (Punjab). The 25-year-old has also been separated from her husband since March. “He accompanied me to Australia on a dependent visa and recently had a hip bone surgery, he is now being forced to manage alone. I just want to be with him again.”

While Australia is yet to lift travel curbs on students, it did announce a slew of visa relaxations recently for international students such as free visa extension and allowing them to obtain post-study work visa without the need to be present in Australia. To some like Ashish Singh, this has come as relief.




The hotel management and tourism student had returned to Raipur (Chattisgarh) in March, soon after completing his masters. His student visa expired in April and he had six months to apply for a post-study work visa. “According to old rules, I would have to be in Australia to apply for the post-study work visa. For several months I was stressed about how I would be able to go back on time. But with the new rules, I can apply for my visa from here.”

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