QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Study Permit
September 25, 2024
Senator Gold, last month, the Toronto Star revealed that 26-year-old Farzana, a highly accomplished student from Afghanistan, was refused a study permit in Canada, despite having been offered a $75,000 scholarship by Wilfrid Laurier University to pursue a master’s degree.
Senator Gold, the House of Commons Special Committee on Afghanistan recommended in 2022 that the federal government issue study permits to students with full scholarships to study in Canada without assessing the intention of returning to their country of origin.
In response to the committee’s report, your government agreed to actively explore that recommendation last year. In light of this, why was Farzana’s study permit denied?
Thank you for raising this issue, senator.
I’m not in a position to comment on the specific case, about which I do not have the information that you’re seeking. But the government takes this recommendation seriously and will continue to work toward finding the right balance for the benefit of our institutions, student visa applicants and the communities as a whole.
Senator Gold, this is the second refusal in a row for the new Resilient Futures scholarship program. It aims to support Afghan women pursuing post-secondary education in Canada as an alternative to humanitarian resettlement as refugees.
Canada continues to boast of its Women’s and Girls’ Rights First approach to its international assistance to Afghanistan. How does your government justify denying study permits to qualified, driven and hard-working Afghan women who have completed a rigorous admission process in Canada?
Canada is, indeed, proud of its commitment to and engagement with Afghanistan and its population. It puts on a feminist lens in its foreign policy, but, with regard to specific applications and the decisions that were made, I’m not in a position to comment, and I regret that.
