Family shame and an arranged marriage await Natasha if she returns to India without finishing her university degree — prospects that are all the more heartbreaking after years of saving and sacrifice.
Key points:
- International students are weighing up difficult decisions as the pandemic threatens their plans
- One student facing arranged marriage says a university degree could change the rest of her life
- The Federal Government says current support for international students is worth “$1.3 billion”
Close to realising her dream of starting her own business before the pandemic hit, Natasha is one of thousands of international students facing the life-changing decision of whether to leave Australia.
But for someone who took out a $15,000 loan and came to Australia against her family’s wishes, the idea of leaving now, six months away from completing her studies, is “unimaginable”.
“That feeling of shame and embarrassment that I wasn’t able to cope will be very hard,” Natasha said.
She is not against the practice of arranged marriages, but Natasha, who is in her mid-20s, says her family will have less power to choose her husband as she grows older and gains more independence.
“You never know who you’re going to end up with,” she said.
“I want to achieve something first.”
A degree from an Australian univer