When Roy David Gomez moved to the Melbourne suburb of Burwood in February 2020, he was excited to be embarking on a “once in a lifetime” opportunity. 

After being offered a place in Deakin University’s Master of Business (Sport Management) course, Mr Gomez left his family in India to make new friends and industry connections overseas.

Now, just a few weeks away from graduating, he has only been to campus two or three times. 

“It’s actually shocking, the whole reason I came here was to get work experience and the university experiences,” he says.

“When you are in class, engagement happens. There are people you can talk to and professors you can ask questions of. Online, it is not really as exciting.”

Looking back, Roy says he could have completed his degree from India and saved “a tonne of money” on living expenses.(Supplied: Roy Gomez)

Mr Gomez says during his first few months in Australia the isolation was “absolutely painful”.

Still, despite Melbourne spending the longest time in COVID lockdowns globally, he does not regret choosing to study here.

“It definitely is a really wonderful country – provided that the country is open,” he says.

“I just hoped that things had worked out better. The most disappointing part is I’ve lost two years of my university experience that I will never get back.”

Although international borders are due to reopen next month, for visa holders leaving Australia it feels risky.

“It’s been really hard staying away from family for so long, but I know multiple people who went back home and weren’t able to return to Australia,” Mr Gomez says.

Roy has not seen his family since February 2020, when they spent time together in Bangalore, India.(Supplied: Roy Gomez)

Mr Gomez seriously considered visiting his family but decided against it because the possibility of returning to Melbourne if he left was “highly unlikely”.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people already in line for a spot in quarantine,” he says.

“I can’t just gamble on a situation like this — I’ve invested a lot of money to be here, so I want to ensure I do well for myself.”

130,000 students stuck overseas

The difficulty in getting to and from Australia during the pandemic has seen the number of international students beginning their tertiary education here drop by more than 40 per cent.

If border closures continue, modelling from Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute suggests the value of the international education sector could halve from $40.3 billion in 2019 to $20.5 billion by the end of 2022.

As Australia’s vaccination rates increase there are positive signs for overseas travel.

In September, New South Wales said it would allow hundreds of vaccinated students into the state before Christmas.

Last week, the Victorian government also announced a plan that would see the gradual return of students from overseas with 120 places available in quarantine each week.

With more than 130,000 higher education students stuck outside Australia, a few hundred students returning each month may seem small, but Universities Australia says at least it is a start.

“Nearly half of all international students in higher education remain outside of Australia, and around one third of our international PhD students are also offshore,” chief executive Catriona Jackson says.

“We are as anxious to see international students return to Australia as they are to come back.

“We have welcomed the pilot plans announced by the New South Wales and Victorian governments to return students as highly anticipated first steps.”

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