Mobility against all odds: the experiences of Chinese international students in Portugal amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected international student mobility. Chinese international students had to deal not only with challenges such as border closures and lockdowns but also with discrimination and stigmatisation. In this paper, we examine the decisions of Chinese students to engage in international mobility and their experiences in Portugal during the pandemic, relying on 23 in-depth interviews with Chinese international students living in Portugal during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021). Our findings indicate that, although these students were concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic and its risks, they tended to prioritise their academic endeavours, while their mobility plans did not appear to have been significantly affected by the pandemic. These findings provide new insights into how international students structure their mobility plans and make sense of their experiences of studying abroad during “unsettling events”.