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The future for tens of thousands of international students is in jeopardy. Here’s why

Time is running out for international students caught in a study permit backlog as universities in Canada warn if you aren’t in class this week you best defer

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orientation

Students walk around the Toronto Metropolitan University campus during Orientation Week

Leila Ghodrat Jahromi should have been sitting in class at Simon Fraser University this week, studying for her master of education degree.

Instead, the Iranian student is sitting in her temporary home in Turkey as she waits for a Canadian study permit some 14 weeks after applying for one.

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Deborah MacLatchy, president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University, says at least 71 of its approximately 1,336 international students, have been impacted by delays.

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Iranian student Leila Ghodrat Jahromi, 30, had been accepted at B.C.'s Simon Fraser University for a master's in education program this fall, but her study permit was delayed as part of a IRCC backlog.

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Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., is among Canadian post-secondary institutions affected by a huge backlog in processing study permits for international students.

Janet Hurley

Janet Hurley is a Toronto Star journalist and senior writer covering culture, education and societal trends. She is based in Toronto. Reach her via email: jhurley@thestar.ca.

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