Saudi medical residents at Dalhousie University get to stay a bit longer

Residents can now stay in Canada until Sept. 22, the university confirmed Tuesday.

Medical residents from Saudi Arabia completing their training through Dalhousie University will be allowed to remain in Canada until Sept. 22. Jean Laroche CBC

Anjuli Patil, CBC News Nova Scotia August 21, 2018

The deadline for Saudi medical residents at Dalhousie University to leave Canada has been extended.

Because of a diplomatic spat with Ottawa, medical residents from Saudi Arabia were told they had to leave Canada by Aug. 31.

But on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Dalhousie said the Saudi Cultural Bureau informed the university the deadline to leave has been extended to Sept. 22.

Students who have been affected have been notified of the change, the university confirmed.

There are 59 Saudis completing their residency in Nova Scotia through Dalhousie. Nova Scotia hospitals have been preparing for the loss of Saudi medical residents, which could delay surgeries.

Twenty-three of the 52 Saudi students set to be enrolled at the University of Calgary are medical residents. Madeline Smith, The Star Calgary

The University of Toronto says there are 77 undergraduate and graduate Saudi students currently enrolled, as well as 216 medical residents who are being trained in hospitals affiliated with the school under a long-standing program. Julia Knope, CBC News Toronto

Saudi students in Halifax have been scrambling to prepare for the journey back home.

A local mosque held a yard sale more than a week ago so Saudi students could sell things like cars and household items.

Source CBC News Nova Scotia