U.S.-Iran war affects prospective law students in Canada

Prospective law students in Canada have become caught up in the U.S. war with Iran after sweeping American sanctions temporarily blocked some Iranian citizens or residents from taking the LSAT.

Shirin Basiri, a recent UBC graduate, said her LSAT was cancelled because of her Iranian citizenship. The exam is required by nearly every law school in Canada, and its score plays a major role in admissions decisions. Basiri said she spent a day trying to find options and asking the Law School Admission Council, or LSAC, to restore access to her account.

LSAC, which administers the test from the United States, said sanctions prohibit it from providing products or services to Iranian citizens or residents. Basiri, who lives in Canada and whose primary citizenship is Canadian, successfully appealed and had her test date reinstated with only days to spare.

Tanya Behzadan, a senior at UBC, received the same email. The dual citizen also appealed successfully and regained access to the exam. She said the situation suggests Canada’s post-secondary system may be too reliant on U.S. standardized tests and that students could need additional ways to apply to law school beyond the LSAT.

It is unclear how many prospective applicants were affected or how many remain unable to write the test. UBC told CityNews it is monitoring the situation and exploring possible solutions. The University of Victoria said it is committed to ensuring applicants are not unfairly disadvantaged by circumstances outside their control and will waive the LSAT requirement for affected students.