Settling in a new neighbourhood can be challenging at times, let alone in a new city, or even country. Leaving one’s continent is another story. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from across the globe come to the UK for various reasons including studies, careers, marriage or to find a better future – and are eventually able to call the United Kingdom their home.
As per the statistics, approximately 70,000 people came to the UK up until June 2023 on family visas. Net migration in 2022 hit a record of 745,000. By September of that year, over 101,000 visas were issued to care workers and approximately 120,000 visas were granted to associated dependents.
Culture shock
Although, leaving the safe confines of home isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, those who dare to do so can also be at the receiving end of cultural shock, homesickness, loneliness, and uncertainty in some ways.
For Neha, relocating abroad was never a dream – she was left with no choice when her husband decided to move the UK. Recalling her first days here, she still gets the jitters recalling how her expectations were unravelled and she realised it was nothing like the depictions she saw in Bollywood movies and she was confronted with a considerable culture shock. She wryly recounts her dismay at the “weather conditions”, and notes that “the food is another story”.
“In India, Sunday evenings are the most lively of the week. But everything shuts down here in the UK.”
Most of these people found comfort by connecting with their community members overseas via various social media platforms, especially Facebook, which has dozens of groups formed by immigrant communities living across the UK. These virtual connections are followed by real-life meetups to form friendships, ask queries and seek advice. These also include virtual cooking groups for those keen or wanting to learn cooking, trekking and travel groups for adventure lovers, and knitting and gardening groups too.
Loneliness and reaching out to others
International students also find their solace with the societies and groups on campus.
Self-proclaimed introvert, Yanis Leung who relocated to the UK from Hong Kong in 2020 found himself stranded in a foreign land during the pandemic. An only-child, the then 18-year-old had never stayed away from his family before. He said: “Initially, I was excited as I was unsure about what it really meant and the repercussions.” A month later, loneliness started to creep in and he started keeping in touch with his friends and family overseas on a regular basis even though a time difference of eight hours turned out to be a barrier. He eventually found solace in the groups he chose to become a part of. The local community has been making him feel much better than before.
An intern at Blenheim Baptist Church, Juan Esteban Vasquez started ‘Meal and Bible study’ for international students to help them discover faith over food and friendships. “Free food and good interaction is loved by all”, remarked Vasquez.
The majority of universities and colleges have various clubs, associations, and societies for students in order to enable them to feel at home. These associations also organise different intercultural and global activities to make more space for inclusivity.
Abraham Sam Daniel, president of Indian National Students Association, Leeds zone, said, “Throughout the year various programmes and cultural events are organised to help students network and feel comfortable”. He added, “No matter which nationality you belong to, we welcome everyone who truly believes in love, peace and diversity.”
Depression and loneliness: by-products of modern life
Since 2018, the government and its partners have invested over £80mn to tackle loneliness across the UK. The sum includes over £34mn in reducing loneliness caused by the pandemic. Of the total, £3.6mn was invested in Student Space, a mental health and wellbeing online platform which has been offering mental health support to all students in England and Wales until 2026.
Nonetheless, according to the latest data set (March 13-24, 2024) from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) reflecting the worries, personal well-being, and loneliness of adults in Great Britain for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 7% of total sampled people often / always feel lonely and 19% feel lonely sometimes. The figures further state that 24% feel lonely occasionally and 27% hardly ever feel lonely. It also states that 21% never felt lonely. The weighted count was 52,375,337 and the sample size was 2,360.
Andrea Wigfield, professor and director of the Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University said:
“Loneliness continues to be a pressing societal issue. It’s evident that concerted efforts are required to tackle loneliness holistically. With technological advancement and ever evolving social dynamics, a multifaceted approach is required to address the root causes of chronic loneliness.
“To do this we need to support people to create and maintain meaningful relationships with others and with themselves and help foster a sense of belonging to places and spaces. This can be achieved by considering the design of our built environment and open spaces, the culture of our schools and workplaces, community infrastructure, and mental health support services.
“Furthermore, targeted interventions should be tailored to address the specific needs of vulnerable groups who are more likely to be at bigger risk of experiencing chronic loneliness.”
Extending a welcoming hand
Leeds resident Laura Palmer who has also witnessed a few lonely seasons in her life, wanted to ensure that others don’t experience it. She therefore chose to become a ‘mission mobiliser’ for Transformations, Leeds. ‘The Living Room’ is a weekly event organised by Transformations in partnership with local churches and students from Christian unions in for international students. Regardless of their religion or race, this event is like a home away from home for all international students. Every week different activities are organised to bring students together helping them feel home in a foreign land.
Palmer’s first interaction with international students happened in the safe confines of her home as her family hosted international students, mainly from Japan and other parts of Europe, at their home in Cambridge. She grew up befriending several global ‘big sisters’ who helped her understand the world a bit more than rest of her peers. Palmer said:
“I’ve always loved any and every opportunity to meet people from across the globe and getting to learn about the world from them.
“I think it’s super-important to make sure international students feel welcomed as they have already overcome so many barriers to get here, some language, travelling, learning a new education and support system, being far from home and family can be exhausting.
“Loneliness is an awful feeling, so I’d hate for others to experience it too.”
