The Foreign Ministry of Norway has issued a directive to dissolve a ban against the admittance of Iranian students in Norwegian universities that came into effect as a result of the international sanctions against Iran following the dispute over the country’s nuclear program.
As a result of sanctions, Iranian students were denied residence permits and visas and in certain cases, faced expulsion from their universities in Norway. Two Iranian PhD students, in particular, took the Norwegian state to court after being expelled from the country. Hamideh Kaffash and Shanin Akbarnejad were among more than 50 Iranian students who had been refused permission to stay in Norway in recent years.
The discriminatory move by Norway sparked massive academic support for the Iranian students’ cause, most notable of whom was Noam Chomsky who called upon the Norwegian government to “withdraw the unjust decision and to put an end to discrimination in education.”
Iran’s nuclear deal was reached in July 2015, and came into effect in January 2016. The deal was followed by the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic and allowed the country to retake its position in the international scene.
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