Emergency Support for Iranian International Students in Canada

Iranian international students across Canada are facing severe financial, emotional, and academic hardship due to the economic crisis in Iran, major currency depreciation, banking restrictions, and the rising cost of living in Canada.

Many students who came to Canada with years of preparation and family sacrifice are now struggling to pay for tuition, rent, food, transportation, healthcare, and other essential needs. Money that once supported their education is no longer enough, and transferring funds from Iran has become increasingly difficult and impossible for many families.

At the same time, students are carrying a heavy emotional burden while worrying about loved ones back home and trying to succeed academically under extreme financial stress. Part-time work is often not enough to offset these pressures, and many students now risk interrupting or abandoning their studies because of circumstances entirely beyond their control.

Iranian international students contribute greatly to Canadian universities and communities. They enrich classrooms, support local economies, and often remain in Canada to contribute to society after graduation. Supporting them during this crisis is both compassionate and fair.

We call on Canadian universities, provincial governments, and the federal government to take immediate action by:

• Temporarily convert affected students to domestic tuition rates.
Freeze tuition deadlines, late fees, and all penalties until the internet shutdown and banking sanctions in Iran are resolved.

• Creating dedicated bursaries, hardship grants, and fast-track emergency aid

• Establishing official university-managed donation and support channels

Without immediate intervention, students will be pushed out of their programs and forced to return to Iran, where many face political persecution, detention, and serious threats to their safety.

We demand that this matter be put in front of the Canadian parliament, and we demand that MPPs and MPs help support Iranian students in Canada.

For more information on the internet blackout in Iran: netblocks.org

Stand with Iranian international students in Canada. Sign this petition and help call for immediate, practical, and humane support.

Respectfully,

The Undersigned