International students are a growing part of the global migrant population. In 2017, there were 5.3 million internationally mobile students according to UNESCO. The top two countries of origin are China and India while the top destinations are the US, Australia and the UK.
For long, international students were not included in most migration debates because they were seen as temporary sojourners, moving for a few months or years and then transitioning back, either to the countries from which they came or changing their status into workers. The Coronavirus crisis has further exposed the marginalization of international students in migration research and policy. And this limited visibility is precisely what the Australian Prime Minister has been able to leverage while arguing that foreign students should ‘go home’ as the resources have to be prioritized for Australian citizens.
Yet, international students are and have always been a significant part of higher education. Nationally they constitute an important part of export earnings in some of the major receiving countries, such as the UK. Moreover, the high fees paid by international students often subsidise national students and research funding. And the money they bring into local economies contributes to regional development. Crucially, they also play an important part in knowledge production and circulation - the core business of higher education. They are not consumers but part of the very fabric of higher education, even though this was always ignored.
