As of January 2020, there were about 5.3 million international students worldwide, many of whom have now been impacted by the global outbreak of COVID-19 in one way or another. With countries suspending cross-border movements, internationalisation activities across campuses and colleges appear to have come to a halt. Study abroad and exchange programmes were suspended. International students were recalled and sent home. Universities are scrambling to cope with the shift towards online and remote learning, which may or may not meet the expectations of students who aspire to gain overseas learning experiences. Existing international students have to navigate multiple challenges associated with campus closures, loss of student jobs, visa control measures, and the rise of xenophobia and racism, in addition to making difficult decisions regarding their international study and career plans in a time of great uncertainty. Additionally, the impacts experienced across various student communities and cohorts are differentiated, with implications for uneven capacities in the case of a rebound.

In this current situation of global containment and border enforcement, the horizon of higher education seems to be entering a new phase of constrained mobility. The anticipated impact on international student enrolment even after travel restrictions are lifted is likely to persist in post-pandemic times. New systems of border controls such as ‘travel corridors’, ‘green lanes’, and ‘immunity passports’ would not only regulate immigration and emigration with a higher degree of selectivity but potential redirect migrant flows. As the global pandemic rewrites geopolitical relations in Asia and beyond, higher education activities and young people’s mobilities are inextricably implicated. In this context, we propose a new research programme that investigates the changing patterns and prospects of international student mobility in (and after) a time of pandemic.

Project Duration: 15 January 2021 – 15 July 2022