Calls to extend welfare support to international students in Australia

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi has written to the Federal Government to urge them to immediately extend income support to international students. This includes calling for them to gain access to a new $550 a fortnight coronavirus supplement introduced as part of stimulus measures. 

“No international student in Australia should be left hungry or homeless by the Covid19 crisis”  Senator Mehreen Faruqi Tweeted.

International students whose livelihoods have been threatened by the outbreak of COVID-19 have warned of their financial vulnerability without access to welfare support. 

There are hundreds of thousands of foreign students studying in Australia who contribute some $30 billion each year to the economy through university fees and tax payments. 

On top of being far from home, international students face the same hardships as other students but aren't eligible for income support payments and haven't been included in the coronavirus package.

But many now face the prospect of struggling to pay their bills as social distancing measures shut down industries and trigger mass job losses to casual workforces.

The National Union of Students and Council of International Students Australia have both pressed the government to do more to support foreign students through extending welfare support.

The Federal Government has extended the hours international students can work in some sectors - with extensions given to the major supermarkets and nurses in aged care facilities. 

A 40 hour per fortnight cap has been removed to help fill critical shortages in the vital industries.