The Canadian authorities have rejected my eTA after a month-long bureaucratic saga over my planned visit to Simon Fraser University, where I was invited to lecture and speak at two public events this September.

I disclosed in the application form my past protest arrests in Egypt, none of which led to trial or conviction, only to be repeatedly asked for Egyptian police and court records that I cannot obviously obtain as a political exile!

Despite several explanations, supporting documents, letters from SFU, and intervention by a Canadian MP’s office, the IRCC sent the same demand 3 times before rejecting my application for allegedly failing to provide the requested information.

Kafka would be jealous.