Indian students in foreign universities are having a tough time coping with increased movement restrictions and lockdowns in some places due to Covid-19 spike in the USA, UK, Europe and Canada.
Students are battling not just concerns around the virus, but also loneliness and a hugely diminished study experience.
But worst affected are those who have graduated this year, struggling to find jobs before their visas expire when there are not many job openings anywhere as the pandemic has battered the global economy.
Graduating students in the USA have 1-3 years to find a job, depending on the nature of the course they took. While the UK recently introduced a two-year post-study work visa, this will only come into effect from next year. Students graduating this year have only four months to find a job. While those graduating in Canada have one to three years depending on the duration of the course.
Many students had travelled abroad in the past few months when cases had reduced, in the hopes that things would continue to recover and classes would move offline. Those hopes stand dashed now, and they’re facing an increasingly isolated study environment.
Each year, about 250,000-300,000 students leave India to pursue their foreign education dreams. This year, about 50% of students had deferred their admission.