U.S. students affected by Trump’s travel ban look to Canadian universities

U.S. students affected by Trump’s travel ban look to Canadian universities (Photo: Blok 70/Flickr)

VANCOUVER—An Iranian citizen who was awarded a full scholarship last year to complete his PhD in economics at the University of Minnesota is now applying at Canadian institutions.

Mahdi Ebrahimi Kahou says he watched his dream of completing his degree at one of the top universities in his field of study evaporate with a stroke of U.S. president Donald Trump’s pen.

The 29-year-old has been living in Minneapolis on a student visa, but Trump’s executive order barred entry to citizens of Iran and six other Muslim-majority countries on any visa category for 90 days.

His common-law wife and stepdaughter live in Calgary and he’s now applying to Canadian schools including the University of British Columbia and University of Toronto.

Universities Canada president Paul Davidson has said the order has had an immediate, profound effect, with the number of U.

S. students applying to study in Canada next fall surging.

Some universities and faculties have extended application deadlines for foreign students in order to accommodate those displaced by the U.

S. order, including McGill’s graduate law department.