Many in the university community have been watching with concern as the situation in Afghanistan continues to evolve. I can understand that for many of our faculty, students, staff and alumni with ties to Afghanistan, this must be a particularly challenging time.
We encourage UBC students, faculty and staff to reach out and access supports available should they need help during these difficult times.
We want to assure our community that UBC is committed to global engagement and will always support students, faculty and staff from around the world, particularly those who may be witnessing trauma from world events. In regards to Afghanistan, the university currently hosts a special program for veterans of Afghanistan. Veterans Transition Network, a charity created by our Faculty of Education, has served more than 1,275 veterans, many of whom were Canadian Forces members with experience in the Afghanistan conflict. Seventy-five students, staff and faculty at UBC are veterans or active serving military; they plan to extend support and mentorship to Afghans coming to UBC who are affected by conflict. For information on sending funds overseas, contact Veterans Transition Network. We are currently waiving application fees for graduate students from Afghanistan applying to UBC and look forward to inviting more Afghans to our campuses.
We also know a number of individuals have reached out to members of our university community for support to leave Afghanistan. We are encouraging all community members to engage with the Canadian government and their programs in place to support special immigration measures for Afghan nationals. The Government of Canada has significant expertise in supporting the immigration and resettlement of vulnerable people.
Federal programs specific to Afghanistan are listed here. To see if you are eligible, follow the instructions in the link and write to: Canada-Afghanistan@international.gc.ca.
We also encourage individuals to reach out for consular assistance through the Emergency Watch Centre:
011 613-986-8885 | sos@international.gc.ca | SMS: 613-686-3658
Murali Chandrashekaran
Vice-Provost, International
