Canada denies study permit to Afghan girl on scholarship

KABUL, Afghanistan (MNTV) — Canadian immigration authorities have denied a study permit to an 18-year-old Afghan girl who received a full scholarship to attend a private boarding school in British Columbia, citing concerns about her financial resources despite the scholarship covering all her expenses, Radio-Canada reported.

The teenager, whose name was withheld for security reasons, was one of three Afghan girls selected from thousands of applicants for an education program run by the nonprofit organization Women Leaders of Tomorrow. In April, she received a two-year scholarship covering tuition, school supplies, accommodation, meals and personal expenses.

Unable to attend school in Afghanistan since the Taliban banned girls from education beyond sixth grade in 2022, the student said she was excited about the opportunity to continue her education in Canada.

But Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada rejected her study permit application in July, saying it was not satisfied that she would leave Canada at the end of her authorized stay and that she had insufficient financial resources to cover tuition and living expenses. The decision letter, dated July 22, cited her inability to demonstrate adequate funds despite the scholarship offer from the British Columbia school, Radio-Canada reported.

The immigration department declined to comment on her individual case, citing privacy rules. It said study permit applications are assessed individually, with officers reviewing applicants’ information to determine whether they meet immigration requirements and are likely to comply with Canadian laws.

Friba Rezayee, executive director of Women Leaders of Tomorrow and a former Afghan Olympic athlete, described the decision as shocking. She said two of the three girls selected for the program this year had been denied study permits, while the third was still awaiting a decision.

Rezayee accused Canadian authorities of failing to properly consider the scholarship documents and called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to address barriers facing Afghan girls seeking education in Canada.

Immigration lawyer Gabrielle Thiboutot, who is not involved in the teenager’s case, said the application may not have received a thorough review. She noted that Canadian immigration officials use a software tool called Chinook to organize information in applications. The immigration department said Chinook is an Excel-based tool that helps officers view applicants’ information but does not make or recommend decisions. It also said artificial intelligence tools may be used for administrative tasks but not to make decisions on applications.

Thiboutot, who serves on the board of the advocacy group For The Refugees, said her organization had encountered similar cases. In 2024, two Afghan women it supported were denied Canadian study permits, including one who had received a $75,000 scholarship to Wilfrid Laurier University. She said the organization successfully challenged the refusals in federal court, with arguments that students could use Canadian qualifications to pursue employment or further education in other countries, even if they did not return to Afghanistan.

Thiboutot also cited a 2022 recommendation by a special parliamentary committee on Afghanistan that the federal government issue study permits to Afghans with full Canadian scholarships without assessing whether they intended to return to their country of origin. She encouraged the teenager in Kabul not to abandon her plans, saying other students supported by her organization had eventually reached Canada after challenging application refusals.

Rezayee, however, said her nonprofit lacked the financial resources for a lengthy legal fight.

Speaking to Radio-Canada from Kabul, the teenager said she had continued studying through secret online courses since the Taliban barred girls from secondary education. She said the Canadian scholarship could be her last opportunity to complete high school and build a better future, and hoped Canadian authorities would reconsider her application, adding that she viewed her case as representing the hopes of other Afghan girls denied access to education.