Mental health has long been a challenge for international students as they navigated a new culture far from home. Back in 2007, some 44% of international graduate students surveyed had an emotional or stress-related problem that impacted their well-being or academic performance, according to a study from the Journal of American College Health.

But the world is far more complicated than it was in 2007. Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, international students are grappling with a collection of obstacles — international conflicts, extreme weather events, embassy bottlenecks, and, in the United States, reports of gun violence and an escalation of racist events, particularly directed at Asians. All of this is having a dramatic impact on students’ travel abilities, academic dreams, and mental health.