#I'm legally not allowed to work outside of the university because of my student visa

[salvadorbonaparte]

This whole apartment hunt is once again showing me that working class people are not expected to make it into academia. Oh what do you mean you don't have wealthy parents paying for your flat on top of your fully funded PhD scholarship?

[mrsbeef]

Question time! So you are an international grad student right? I'm a second yr grad in my program and this upcoming semester there will be four international grad students. I know you and each of them are from different countries but I was wondering if you could give me some general ideas on how I could best help them. I think grad school has broken me but I want to do my best.

That's a really important question, and I sat on it for a while because I wanted to make sure I could give an answer that goes into as much depth as it deserves. Keep in mind that my responses are going to be coloured a bit by my experiences as a mentally ill student from a tiny country, with no legal leave to remain in either of the countries where I've studied, outside the terms of a student visa. So what I say might not always apply, but I hope some of it is useful, at least.First, it's so great to know that there are people like you who understand that we as international students can often need a hand, due to the unique challenges we can face in a university environment. So thank you. You rock :D International students who are completely new to a country will likely be having a particularly hard time, especially if there's a big culture shock or language barrier. And it applies even more if they come from a small country, because it's harder for them to find a community than it is for someone from a big country. But even just in general, loneliness is usually a huge problem for people who are in a new country, or a new institution, especially if they're not very extroverted by nature. So it can be nice to casually check up on us now and then, and see how we're fitting in. You don't even have to be close friends with us, because of course not everybody gets super chummy with people in their own department (hell, most of my friends were scientists). But a little friendly concern goes a long way toward making someone feel welcome. For example, you can casually ask how we're finding things, if we've got to know people outside of our courses/the department, etc. Inviting us to department social events that we might not know about is always great too. Even if we never end up attending, lonely international students appreciate the invitations, and would probably feel really sad if they stopped coming.Also bear in mind that academic culture shock can be a thing. For example, if someone was educated in the UK or the current/former Commonwealth, coming to a North American institution might be a jarring experience. NA students might have learned things that they themselves have never even seen before. So if you see someone struggling and it's in your power to help, offering is always nice.Another good thing is to ask them if you should forward emails or notices that would be relevant or helpful to that individual in particular. As an example, one of my lecturers back in the UK would mass email my year group of about 10 or 12 people with job or funding opportunities, and he would always make a point of saying whether something was British/EU citizens only, or open to international students. Sometimes he'd even hail me out by name: "This one's domestic/EU students only-- sorry, Meghan." Currently I have a colleague who emails me about conferences and talks, since I'm new to both the country and the university, and she's been here for years, so she's more in-the-know about what's happening. The school I go to now is, in my opinion, particularly shitty with how much it seems to bury its student life under academics, so it might not always apply in your case. But if in doubt, you could always ask.Finally, I guess this advice only really applies if you become close enough friends with an international student, but here it is anyway: be prepared to learn a bit about your country's immigration rules, in case your friend runs into difficulty there, and maybe find out if any campus offices deal with immigration, so you can direct them in case they might not already know. I was really lucky to have a number of close friends who were domestic, and they would help me research avenues to get leave to remain in the UK. That didn't work, and I had to leave in the end, but the gesture alone meant a lot, because it showed that I had people who were on my side :) Somewhat relatedly, if an international student is experiencing discrimination from somewhere on campus, it's good to stand up for them if the situation allows. If it's an institutional discrimination thing and the person doesn't know what procedures to follow, helping out with information gathering is a cool thing to do. We're technically supposed to have a grasp on a lot of these things already, but if you're isolated by loneliness it's not always easy to keep abreast of rules and guidelines, and a bit of outside help is pretty groovy.Of course, none of the above is ever *expected* of you, and you shouldn't overextend yourself. We as international students also really need to know when and how to reach out for help ourselves. But that is made so, so much easier by a welcoming environment, and a department (especially a grad department!) should definitely be a place where you can be comfortable knowing you won't completely fall through the cracks. So I guess just use your intuition: if you get the sense that someone is struggling, try asking if they need a hand.This was long and verbose, but I hope at least some of it's helpful :D