Thousands of students from Saudi Arabia studying in Canada are being ordered by their government to return home.
A Saudi student group issued a press release urging their leaders to keep them out of the political dispute.
Canadian students unions are trying to help them cope with the uncertainty surrounding their academic future.
The recalling of students follows the expulsion of the Canadian ambassador from Riyadh and the suspension of new trade and investment after Canada criticised the arrest of human rights activists in the kingdom.
Al Jazeera's Fintan Monaghan reports.
