Introduction

Since the early 2000s, Singapore has been host to international students from all over Asia and beyond who attend both local and foreign- based tertiary institutions. Most of these students are able to blend into Singaporean society, perhaps, because their physical appearance – particularly those with Asian heritage – is similar to the established Chinese, Indian and Malay ethnic groups that form the bedrock of the city- state's multi- ethnic landscape. Some of these students are very familiar and comfortable with Singaporean culture and society, especially those who also spent their formative schooling years in their host nation. Moreover, many international students stay in Singapore after graduation because they are serving out a bond by working with a local company, while others stay due to the increased job opportunities available to them. However, the presence of ‘foreign talent’ – that is international students at universities and migrant white- collar workers – while being the target of xenophobia among Singaporeans, are also considered by citizens as being a major cause of social tension the city-state. While many native Singaporeans have not yet engaged in face- to- face abuse of foreign talent, they certainly have expressed their disgust and xenophobia online. Given these factors, I embarked on a journey to uncover how international students in Singapore balance these contradictory factors in their everyday lives in their host nation.

In early 2014 I spent a month in Singapore interviewing ‘foreign talent’ about their social media practices, social networks/ friendship groups, selfperceived identities, their impressions of Singapore, and whether they see a future in their host nation. What I found is that despite the international student participants generally liking Singapore particularly in terms of lifestyle, in general they reported not being (or trying not to be) affected by the antiforeign sentiments. While a few had local (yet not close) friends and would like to become permanent residents due to the job opportunities available to them, their connections to Singapore appeared superficial. In other words, they had very little emotional investment in Singapore, a country that they see more as a practical place to be in because of good economic prospects.