Coronavirus: Promised handouts for foreign students nowhere in sight

International students in Victoria are still waiting to receive support payments promised by the state almost a month ago.

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino. Picture: AAP

International students in Victoria are still waiting to receive support payments promised by the state government almost a month ago.

It comes as Victoria’s biggest university shelved work on several new facilities as it grapples with thousands of international students deferring or cancelling their enrolment this semester.

In late April, the Andrews government announced a one-off payment of up to $1100 for vulnerable international students without work because of the COVID-19 crisis. Education Minister James Merlino confirmed on Monday that applications hadn’t formally opened.

“This is an urgent matter. We’re finalising those processes; we’ll have those applications for funding out very shortly and understand the need,” he said.

“We’ve got to get this right, we don’t want to make mistakes with this, so we’re just finalising the processes for international students and that will happen very, very shortly.”

In a bid to help, the City of Melbourne has announced it will be handing out coupons worth up to $200 for international students to spend at the Queen Victoria Market. Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the city had a responsibility to care for students isolated and far from home.

“The COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on this group and on Victoria’s international student economy, which is worth $9.1bn a year,” she said.

She said the vouchers, which can be applied for online, would also provide a boost to struggling traders at the market.

About half of Australia’s 500,000 international students live in Victoria and many have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

Some want to go home, but can’t because of the lack of flights, funds or border restrictions, while others have built lives and families in Australia. The vouchers were announced as it was revealed ­Monash University, the state’s biggest by student numbers, has had to shelve projects, including a $100m medical education centre, a $100m biomedical teaching facility and a $170m artificial intelligence and data building.

AAP