I have come a long way... They didn't see my hard work

Afghan student wins scholarship but Ottawa denies study permit

- NICHOLAS KEUNG

Since graduating with her bachelor’s degree last year, Farzana has applied for several scholarships, but Resilient Futures was the only one that would cover all expenses. She went through a competitive application process before she was accepted by Wilfrid Laurier University in May.

She graduated from university with a90 per cent average and has on her resumé a list of accomplishments that include running a group to empower young girls through education, as well as building an e-commerce platform to help women earn extra income.

She has also been offered a $75,000 scholarship by Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo to pursue a master’s degree in Canada that will cover her tuition fee, accommodations and all expenses in the country.

Despite those stellar qualifications, 26-year-old Farzana from Afghanistan was refused a study permit and her supporters believe it has to do with the refugee label that has followed her.

This is the second refusal in a row for the new Resilient Futures Scholarship program that aims to support Afghan women to pursue post-secondary education in Canada as an alternative to humanitarian resettlement as refugees.

“In any other circumstances, these would be precisely the types of international students that Canada would be seeking to attract from anywhere around the world,” said Marc-André Séguin, founding president of For the Refugees, a Montreal-based charity that runs the program.

“The fact that we are having this conversation is only attributable to the fact that these women are women from Afghanistan.”