A survey by the Migrant Workers Justice Initiative last month found 59% of more than 5,000 international students were now less likely to recommend Australia as a study destination than before the coronavirus pandemic.
Survey takers cited rampant racism and discrimination faced by Chinese students and Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s April statement urging students to leave if "they could not support themselves", frequently.
Since the start of the pandemic, international students and other temporary migrants were denied JobKeeper and JobSeeker even though 70% of those in the survey lost hours and employment because of the pandemic.
35% of survey respondents said they would run out of funds this month and almost 33% had to find emergency support to meet their basic needs.