On Sept. 7, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a sudden end to the diplomatic relationship between Canada and Iran. The Canadian embassy in Iran was shut down, and Canadian diplomats were recalled. Because of this situation, there is uncertainty about the status of over 121,000 Iranians residing in Canada, 262 of whom are currently students enrolled at McGill (26 undergraduates, 232 graduates, two post-doctorates, and two continuing studies students).
According to Majid Sheikholeslami and Ali Salimi, president and vice-president external (respectively) of the McGill Iranian Students Association (MISA), many Iranian students have been experiencing difficulty having their legal documents—such as passports and military service exemptions—processed.
“Every single [Iranian] student has been shocked [by] such a sudden decision,” Sheikholeslami and Salimi said in an email to the Tribune. “[Iranian] students with expiring study permits needed to renew their passports first, in order to be able to renew their study permit in Canada. … This has made the situation so complicated right now, since this can stop them from being able to continue their education in Canada.”
According to Pauline L’Écuver, International Student Services director, the largest concern for Iranian students is the issuance and renewal of passports, which are necessary to obtain a student visa.
“Some accommodations are being made on a case-by-case basis for financial situations, such as the deferral of fees or emergency loans,” she said. “However, we have students still waiting for student visas in Ankara, some who have waited over 100 days. The Canadian government has said they will try to address this backlog, but it may be too late.”
To assist affected Iranian students, MISA has offered to be a point of contact between students and the resources at McGill they may require for help. MISA will also offer services that will help resolve problems with students’ immigration statuses, especially those who face expiration within the next 30-60 days. Furthermore, the association is also preparing a proposal for McGill’s Admissions Office, asking them to relax some of their admissions policies for Iranian students.
“We are trying to ask them to ease [the admissions] process for our students, specifically regarding their requirement of ‘getting their transcripts and diplomas certified by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Department of Justice,’” Sheikholeslami said. “We hope that we [can] overcome this difficult situation as soon as possible with McGill’s support.”
On Sept. 23 at 2:30 p.m., MISA will also host a General Assembly in room 202 of the SSMU Building, in order to provide everyone with an environment for further discussion on this issue.
Tensions between Canada and Iran have been on the rise now for several months. Beginning this past April, Canada closed its visa office in Iran, and soon proceeded to close all sections of the Canadian embassy in the country, leaving only essential services for Canadians travelling to Iran.
In July, funds from Iran were slowly cut off and bank accounts of many Iranians residing in Canada were frozen. The lack of single wire-transfer system created complications for Iranian students, effectively forcing their parents to send money through third parties, such as exchange bureaus.
“I think [these recent events] reflect both a concern over the vulnerability of the Canadian Embassy in Tehran, and perhaps even more so, this government’s particular views on Iran,” Rex Brynen, professor in McGill’s Department of Political Science and specialist in the Middle East region, said.
Brynen said he finds it difficult to imagine an improvement in Canadian-Iranian relations in the near future, unless there were to be a consensus on Iran’s controversially firm stance on sustaining its nuclear program. However, Brynen doubts that other countries will follow Canada’s move in severing diplomatic ties unless their own relations with Iran deteriorate significantly.
Despite the continuing uncertainty, L’Écuyer offered a final, positive remark on the situation of students.
“There do not seem to be many students with immediate concerns in the coming weeks or month,” L’Écuyer said. “So hopefully when these passport issues do come up, we will have found a solution.”
