The rapid outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the students' international mobility globally. However, little is known about the challenges that the students, intending to pursue outward mobility experience in deciding between studying in the home country or a foreign country in the current reality. Using a "push-and-pull" model as a framework, this qualitative interview-based study aims to find answers to some of these questions by exploring how the pandemic affected science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students' intentions to pursue international mobility, looking at students from Kazakhstan, one of the typical source countries. The analysis is based on the interview data with 22 students who planned to pursue higher education abroad when the COVID-19 pandemic started. The key lessons from the study are useful for policymakers and practitioners working in the higher education field internationally as they provide insights into the potential influence of COVID-19 on the outward mobility of STEM students globally.