Ukrainian student at U of R forced to pause studies amid visa issue

A Ukrainian University of Regina student says visa delays have stopped him from writing final exams. Wayne Mantyka reports.

A University of Regina student from Ukraine says a delay in processing his visa extension has forced him to pause his studies just weeks before final exams.

Anton Merzliakov says he applied for a visa extension in May but did not learn there was an issue until about two weeks before finals. As a result, he has been unable to continue attending classes or write exams.

“Sadly, I was not able to continue. I had to stop and wait until the issue is resolved, and for now it’s still not that clear,” Merzliakov said.

Merzliakov and his family arrived in Saskatchewan in 2022 on a special federal government flight for Ukrainians fleeing the war. While three-year visas for his family members were recently extended, his application was not. According to the family, the federal government requested confirmation from the university that Merzliakov is a student, but that request never reached the campus.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

Merzliakov’s mother says the situation has left the family worried about his future.

“He’s fully dependent on us, and he won’t be able to stay in Canada. Where should he go? There is no way, he is our family,” said Katrina Merzliakov.

In addition to his studies, Merzliakov is a goaltender with the Regina Capitals. The team says it has never encountered a situation like this before.

“I think every team in the south of our league was very interested in acquiring him,” said Capitals head coach Kory Gibbs.

“We were fortunate to get him, and we’ve had a tremendously successful season as a result.”

The University of Regina says it is working to support the student, and Saskatchewan NDP MLA Keith Jorgenson is also advocating on his behalf.

“It is unfortunate that something that appears to be an obvious clerical error at the federal Department of Immigration is not easily correctable,” Jorgenson said.

The university says it is prepared to defer Merzliakov’s final exams if his visa is approved soon. However, there is no timeline for when a decision will be made, and he cannot resume his studies until immigration approval is granted.