After more than a year stuck in his home country of Nepal, waiting, frustrated, for Australia to reopen its borders, Sushan Khatiwada has finally touched down in Darwin to resume his studies.
The international student spent the past pandemic year studying his Charles Darwin University course online, paying fees but missing out on what he was sorely hoping for: "university life".
"The reason why I chose Australia — and I chose Darwin and I wanted to come to this university — was to experience the diversity, because there are students here from different nationalities, different cultures," he said.
Mr Khatiwada enters an Australia still tackling surges in COVID-19 cases, but with a federal government seemingly far more ready to reach out to its international students than when the pandemic began.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announced foreign students and backpackers who arrived in the next two months would be eligible for rebates to their visa fees, a saving of more than $600.
"That's great news," Mr Khatiwada said.
"Because those who have been studying online for like one semester, two semesters, have been paying a lot of fees and other things.
"So, even though the rebate visa fee is [only] like $600, it means a lot to many students … to get that rebate is definitely helpful."
PM's move welcomed as 'first steps'
In 2020, the Morrison Government received heavy criticism for not offering immediate assistance to foreign students who lost their jobs due to COVID-induced industry lockdowns.
In some cases, students had been forced to join soup-kitchen queues just to keep food on the table.
Spanish national Macarena Santos, a teaching student at Charles Darwin University, applauded the Commonwealth's move to waive fees "if this was the first step of future steps".
"It's good, of course. It shows they are thinking a little bit about international students," she said.
"But, there are so many things … like making sure we have access to health and food and things like that. If we cannot work, that we [still] have access to the basic things.
"And not only the basic things, but to thrive as students, to have the best experience possible."
University says government response improved
In the coming weeks, more than 130 new and returning international students are expected to touch down in the Northern Territory to prepare for their studies to resume.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Students Sam Jacob said that, with Omicron cases climbing, there was no guarantee those beginning their studies would be able to access face-to-face education come March.
"I think you'll find that students are just relieved to be back and in a community that welcomes them, in and around the university, even if some of their classes are online and some are on-campus," she said.
Ms Jacob also welcomed Mr Morrison's new pledges to foreign students, but said she hoped "we don't revisit any of those times where perhaps messages were blunt or uncaring".
"I think international students have been very forgiving of the pandemic and its impact and all of the last-minute decisions that had to be made in a rush [by] a whole lot of people who didn't have experience in pandemic management," Ms Jacob said.
"We're two years in now. We have a more mature message from the government. We have a better relationship with the key people we need to."
The university said this year's intake of international students to the Northern Territory included people from India, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Canada and the United Kingdom.
