‘Treated like a criminal’: 16-year-old Hong Kong homestay student deported

A teen living with a family in Perth secretly recorded a clash with her host moments before she was sent to the airport and “deported”.

A teenage student from Hong Kong has alleged she was “treated like a criminal” after she was suddenly deported during her homestay in Perth earlier this year.

The 16-year-old girl had been living with her host family for less than a month, according to reports by local outlet WAMN News, when she became engaged in a dispute with them on March 3.

The student, given the name ‘Andrea’ by WAMN to protect her identity, said she was on a video call with her mum when the host “started to knock on my door really aggressively and asked me to go out for her to have a chat”.

“But she yelled at me, like for an hour, and whenever I went to say something, she’s just saying I’m being rude, disrespectful, and I’ve no manners,” Andrea told WAMN in a video interview.

“So I ran back to my room because she’s … slamming the table, and I went back to my room and locked the door, and she kept knocking on the door … She asked me to open the door and I say, ‘Can I have an hour to calm down or can you send (a message) through text?’”

The teenager, given the name 'Andrea' by WAMN News, spoke to the outlet. Picture: Facebook/WAMN News

When the host refused to leave Andrea alone, the teen called the police, who arrived at the house soon after with staff from TAFE International WA (TIWA).

In a secret recording of the clash, the host can be heard screaming: “You are so narcissistic. You are so self-centred and egoistic... I’m giving you notice now.”

“Answer me. Yes or no. Do you accept any responsibility that your behaviour is affecting other members of this home... yes or no.”

Andrea claimed police told her she was being “childish” after demanding she open her bedroom door.

The person from TIWA then told her she had 10 minutes to pack her bags, and that she would be taken to the airport and sent back to Hong Kong.

The teen said she felt that she “was treated like a criminal” and had been accompanied by five police officers when she was taken to the airport.

After waiting at the airport for six hours, Andrea flew home to Hong Kong. Following intervention from her mother and family’s lawyer, she returned to Australia two days later, and is staying with a different host family while she continues her studies in Perth.

Despite her return, Andrea said she was concerned other international students could suffer a similar fate.

“I think they will do the same thing to other international students, like deporting them for no reason and not letting them come back,” she said.

“And actually, I know there’s lots of homestays also being mean or abusing those homestay students.”

Her story went viral on Reddit, where a majority of social media users claimed there had to have been a large gap in the student’s version of events.

“So, there was apparently one argument that night, the police came immediately, bailed her off to the airport and put her on a flight that night?” questioned one skeptic.

“There is OBVIOUSLY a MASSIVE part of this story missing.”

“So police were called on the 16 year old, and (she) was immediately removed from the house being escorted out by police?” questioned another.

“I’d like to hear the other side of the story, because we’re not getting the full one.”

Multicultural advocate Suresh Rajan. Picture: Facebook

A WA Police spokesperson confirmed in a statement that officers “attended an address in Morley on 3 March 2025, in response to a reported disturbance”.

“A representative from the Department of Training and Workforce Development also attended,” they said.

“The disturbance complaint was resolved without further incident, no further police action was required.

“The Department of Training and Workforce Development drove a young person from the premises to the international airport where the person was presented to federal authorities.

“WA Police Force officers followed the vehicle to the airport but had no further involvement in the matter.”

Local multicultural advocate Suresh Rajan said the incident raised questions about the treatment of international students in the state, and the conduct of TIWA, who “have treated her as a criminal”.

“TIWA said they were cancelling her certificate of enrolment,” Mr Rajan told news.com.au.

“When they did that, they would argue that she was no longer a student and her visa conditions would be breached. But TIWA have no jurisdiction to deal with the visa. – that is a Home Affairs matter.”

Mr Rajan said he had “been concerned about the treatment of international students for a long time”.

“(Andrea) is symptomatic of a system that is only concerned for the fees paid by international students, and not for their mental health and related matters,” he said.

WA Premier Roger Cook insisted the state is a ‘terrific place to get your education’. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Kelly Barnes

Asked about the matter at a press conference on Tuesday, WA Premier Roger Cook said he wasn’t aware of its specifics, but maintained the state welcomed international students.

According to the Federal Department of Education, there were 90,829 international student enrolments in WA in 2024, out of a total 1,095,298 enrolments across all sectors nationwide.

“The message for everyone who’s looking to Western Australia as a place for their son or daughter to continue their education is that Western Australia is a safe place to live, it’s a great place to live, and it’s a terrific place to get your education,” Mr Cook said.

“I don’t know the circumstances in relation to that particular deportation, but I do know that parents right across Asia are now looking to Australia as a safe place for their kids to further their education, as opposed to other markets like the US.”

Originally published as ‘Treated like a criminal’: 16-year-old Hong Kong homestay student deported