‘There was no freedom to leave’: Global South international students in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This article looks at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students, focusing on Portuguese-speaking African and Brazilian students during the lockdown of spring 2020. Using evidence from interviews conducted with 27 students domiciled in Portugal, we illustrate some of the challenges faced by students when coping with the pandemic, including difficulties in meeting the cost of tertiary education and the centrality of working to sustain their stays abroad, alongside the emotional impact of prolonged domestic confinement and separation from families. We also consider the paradoxes of online teaching, which have made visible the digital gap between local and international Global South students in the context of their stays. In this sense, pre-existing inequalities are more at the centre of students’ concerns than new issues raised by COVID-19, a pandemic that served to reveal former injustice in the context of global capitalism. In our conclusion, we argue that there is a need for greater recognition of the vulnerabilities facing certain African and Brazilian students at Global North universities in the context of contemporary neo-liberalism, including their dependence upon precarious work. Policy responses include the need for a more serious involvement and responsibility by both home and host higher education institutions in the lives of their students abroad.

Managing Student Mobility during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Immobility Turn in Internationalized Learning?

“…In regard to what we know about the collateral effects of this immobility turn from prior studies, during the initial lockdown period of Spring 2020, research looking at the impact of the pandemic on international students in Portugal, including both credit mobility exchanges and more settled student migrants, illustrated the extent of the transformation in international student life during the rapid shutdown of society, including the closure of university facilities, leading to prolonged domestic confinement [1][2][3]23].…”

“…While the impact of the pandemic on international students has been considerable, as we have explored in prior publications, much of what has taken place in their lives is self-evident and, hopefully, temporary, meaning that their transitions are likely to be delayed rather than curtailed [1][2][3]. While this may be due in part to students' resilience, we might also want to consider the role played by higher education institutions, which have faced practical difficulties in hosting students during the pandemic, many of whom have enhanced support needs.…”

Exploring the Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Social Restrictions on International University Students: A Qualitative Study

“…The retention of existing international students, and attraction of new students will be paramount for the future sustainability of global academic institutions. Further, research has identified a need to explore the concerns and experiences of international students during the COVID-19 outbreak [3,21,22]. According to the Student Covid Insights Survey (SCIS) conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health and well-being of over 50% of students in higher education in England [23].…”

COVID-19: Threat or Opportunity for the Portuguese Higher Education's Attractiveness for International Students?

“…Such findings suggest that international students from these regions may experience additional financial hardships and additional challenges in the adaptation to online teaching and learning. In Portugal, for instance, African and Brazilian students have faced a complex set of challenges, from economic hardships, emotional distress and adaptation to online teaching ( Malet Calvo et al, 2021 ).…”