Dear compassionate allies and friends,

International medical students were given one week's notice to return to Ukraine by March 14th to write the Krok 2 exam, or risk not graduating. It is a decision that no student should ever have to make.

We have been working tirelessly to appeal to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to cancel the exam, but since speaking to several Ukrainian lawyers we have been informed that only the President or the Ministry has the power to cancel the Krok 2 exam. Unfortunately, this appeal process could take over a month, leaving these students in limbo.

To make matters worse, it is physically impossible for some students in Africa and Asia to obtain visas and flights to return to Ukraine with such short notice. The universities seeing our request to cancel the exam as reasonable therefore are not advocating on behalf of students, leaving these students feeling lost and hopeless.

Students who were studying at Sumy State University have reported they received an email today that read:

" Dear student!

We inform you about the preparation of an order to expel you from Sumy State University.

According to the migration requirements, we have to inform the Sumy State Migration Office about your expelling and your temporary residence permit will be cancelled. 

In case of questions regarding expelling and subsequent receipt of documents, you can contact us at our official mailbox or use the help of your contractor."

This has caused extreme stress and anxiety, as they worry that six years of education and hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in becoming doctors will be for nothing.

We cannot forget that just last year, that thousands of international students were stranded in Sumy amidst shelling and could not leave until a humanitarian corridor was created. This request to return to Ukraine shows a complete lack of empathy for what these students went through, and a callous disregard for human life.

We are calling on all of our allies and friends to help us in our fight for these students. Tweeting @dmytrokuleba and @ZelenskyyUa, asking them to cancel the Krok 2 exam and ensure the safety of international students, is a great place to start. You can also write to the President's Office at Letter@apu.gov.ua and requests@apu.gov.ua , using the template provided, or write to your MP and request that they write a letter to the Foreign Secretary about this issue.

Finally, signing and sharing our petition and donating to our Just Giving page can make a world of difference for these students who are struggling in a time of crisis.

Thank you for joining us in our quest to show empathy and compassion for these students.