UNHCR Iran has received multiple reports of false information circulating online and among forcibly displaced communities about travel agencies claiming to offer support with humanitarian visas to third countries through UNHCR. This is not true. Do not trust this rumor!

UNHCR is not affiliated with any type of agent or broker to provide access to UNHCR services and is not involved in any visa/immigration programs for any country.

Pleasebeware of individuals or groups trying to exploit you by falsely promising UNHCR-related assistance or services in exchange for money, favours or personal information. All UNHCR services are always free of charge and UNHCR is not associated with any type of agency with such claims.

It is important to inform your communities that there is no travel agency or internet café affiliated with UNHCR. You will not be able to access any UNHCR services through travel agencies or internet cafés. Do not pay any money and do not share your personal information and documentation with anyone claiming to offer false UNHCR services or offer support with humanitarian visas to third countries through UNHCR.

If you come across any false or suspicious claims by individuals or groups claiming to offer support with humanitarian visas to third countries through UNHCR, do not trust them and please report them immediately to UNHCR and the police. All complaints to UNHCR are confidential.

Please only rely on official government/embassy channels to receive accurate information regarding visa/immigration programs.

Similarly, please only rely on official UNHCR channels to receive accurate information regarding UNHCR services. When in doubt, please check directly with UNHCR for accurate information. You may send your queries through the UNHCR online contact form or contact the UNHCR helpline (https://help.unhcr.org/iran/en/contact/).

For information about the available UNHCR services in Iran, please visit UNHCR Iran’s Help Page (https://help.unhcr.org/iran/en/news/) or follow the UNHCR Instagram account (https://instagram.com/unhcriran).

Stay vigilant, stay informed, stay safe.

Please be informed that as of Sunday, 11 January 2026 UNHCR Field Unit in Isfahan will receive refugees and forcibly displaced persons approaching without an appointment between 08:30 to 11:30 (Sunday to Thursday).

All UNHCR services are completely free of charge.
Please do not share your personal information with any individual or entity claiming to provide UNHCR services through unofficial channels.

Please be informed that during January 2026, the UNHCR Iran Helpline will be operating with minimum capacity. This means that it may take longer than usual to answer your calls. We kindly ask for your patience and understanding during this period. You can still receive a response to UNHCR inquiries by:

• Visiting the UNHCR Iran Help Page
• Submitting your concerns through the UNHCR Iran Online Contact Form
• If your issue is not addressed, you may also visit the UNHCR offices.

UNHCR Iran has received reports of false information circulating online and among forcibly displaced communities about travel agencies claiming to offer support with humanitarian visas to third countries through UNHCR. This is not true. Do not trust this rumor!

UNHCR is not involved in any visa/immigration programs for any country.

UNHCR does not work with any type of agent or broker to provide access to UNHCR services. Beware of individuals or groups who may try to exploit you by falsely promising UNHCR-related assistance or services in exchange for money, favours or personal information. All UNHCR services are always free of charge.

Please be advised that there is no travel agency or internet café affiliated with UNHCR. You will not be able to access any UNHCR services through travel agencies or internet cafés. Do not pay any money and do not share your personal information and documentation with anyone claiming to offer false UNHCR services or offer support with humanitarian visas to third countries through UNHCR.

If you come across any false or suspicious claims by individuals or groups claiming to offer support with humanitarian visas to third countries through UNHCR, do not trust them and please report them immediately to UNHCR and the police. All complaints to UNHCR are confidential.

Please only rely on official government/embassy channels to receive accurate information regarding visa/immigration programs.

Similarly, please only rely on official UNHCR channels to receive accurate information regarding UNHCR services. When in doubt, please check directly with UNHCR for accurate information. You may send your queries through the UNHCR online contact form or contact the UNHCR helpline (https://help.unhcr.org/iran/en/contact/).

For information about the available UNHCR services in Iran, please visit UNHCR Iran’s Help Page (https://help.unhcr.org/iran/en/news/) or follow the UNHCR Instagram account (https://instagram.com/unhcriran).

Stay vigilant, stay informed, stay safe.

UNHCR highly recommends that you keep the original copy of your current document (Amayesh/Hoviat card, Movaghat card, Passport, etc.) with you all the time, and make a copy, scan, or take a photo of your current document of all your family members before approaching for issuance of your new documents to ensure identifying your case files in databases when you approach organizations for counseling or any other support.

Refugees, Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons (FDSPs) can benefit from and must abide by all rights and obligations reflected in the Iranian laws and regulations.

UNHCR Iran has received reports of a fraudulent website falsely claiming to be linked to UNHCR. The website falsely promises forcibly displaced persons money in return for filling out a questionnaire.

Do not trust this fraudulent website or any other websites that make such false promises. These websites are not associated with UNHCR in any way. These fraudulent websites are created by fraudsters who are trying to steal your personal information and/or money.

Similarly, never trust any messages, emails or calls from unknown or suspicious sources. Do not click on any links or attachments in websites, messages or emails from unknown or suspicious sources. Such links or attachments may lead to phishing, malware or fraudulent websites which can result in your money and/or personal information being stolen.

Never pay fraudsters any money and never share any personal information and documentation with them. Instead, report fraudsters to UNHCR and the police. All complaints to UNHCR are confidential.

Please only rely on official UNHCR channels to receive accurate information regarding UNHCR services. When in doubt, please check directly with UNHCR for accurate information. You may send your queries through the UNHCR online contact form or contact the UNHCR helpline (https://help.unhcr.org/iran/en/contact/).

For information about the available UNHCR services in Iran, please visit the UNHCR Iran website (https://www.unhcr.org/ir/) or see the official announcements made on UNHCR Iran’s Help Page (https://help.unhcr.org/iran/en/news/) or follow the UNHCR Instagram account (https://instagram.com/unhcriran).

Stay vigilant, stay informed, stay safe.

Academic Year: 2026-2027

Sciences Po is a selective university offering a diverse range of graduate-level programs (30 Master’s tracks in the humanities and social sciences) based on academic excellence, international openness, and the development of professional skills. Open to applicants holding a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (Bac+3 level), these programs are taught in English or French at the Paris campus, within eight professional schools (including one dedicated to research). Admitted students will begin their two-year academic programme in September 2026.

The UNIV’R program, led by UNHCR and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), provides selected refugees residing in a first country of asylum who have already been admitted to a two-year Master’s program at Sciences Po (excluding dual degrees and one-year Master’s programs) with material and financial support to pursue their studies in France.

UNIV’R program beneficiaries come to France on a student visa. Upon completing their studies, they may apply for a one-year residence permit to seek employment, but the program does not guarantee long-term residency.

Note: Selected refugees will enter France with a long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) for students. This visa is strictly personal and does not entitle the holder to family reunification.

✅ Benefits include: 

• Administrative, social, and financial assistance
• Exemption from visa fees
• A scholarship covering travel and social security expenses.

?  Eligibility: 

• Be legally recognized as a refugee by the first country of asylum or by the UNHCR

Note: Asylum seekers are not eligible. The refugee status recognition process must be completed.

• Reside in a first country of asylum outside the European Union.
• Be no older than 35 years at the time of application.
• Submit a complete application through the Sciences Po platform before February 1, 2026 (11:59 PM Paris time).

Required Documents for UNIV’R Scholarships:

• Academic transcripts.
• Academic recommendation letters.
• Research Proposal
• Evidence of a good GPA

⏰  Deadline:

January 22, 2026 (by 11:59 PM Paris time): Deadline to request a waiver of the application fee at Sciences Po.

Until January 27, 2026: Sciences Po processes fee waiver requests and responds to applicants via email.

February 1, 2026 (by 11:59 PM Paris time): Deadline to submit the complete application file on the Sciences Po platform.

Admission results will be communicated by Sciences Po based on the date the application is considered complete, with responses no later than April 23, 2026.

UNIV’R: UNHCR–AUF

February 1, 2026 (by 11:59 PM Paris time): Deadline to submit the application form for the UNIV’R programme.

April 23–30, 2026: UNIV’R support allocation process for those admitted to Sciences Po.

Early May 2026: UNIV’R support decisions communicated by UNHCR.

Apply here: https://enketo.unhcr.org/x/Ss7fgBgz

Academic Year: 2026-2027

President’s PhD Scholarships 2026-27 at Imperial College London are aimed at talented and academically excellent aspirants for PhD programs. These scholarships provide an opportunity for PhD scholars to continue their research and studies under the supervision of top supervisors. Imperial College London scholarship aims to promote diversity by inviting scholars from every nationality.

✅ Benefits include: 

• The grant covers the full tuition fee for PhD program
• The scholarship is available for 3.5-years programme
• The scholars will receive a stipend of £26,500 per year to meet the living cost
• The scholars will also receive £2000 per year for the first three years of their PhD program.
• The students will receive tailored assistance i.e. assistance to students with disabilities and visa assistance to the international students
• International students will have free English Language Courses and access to different clubs, and communities of the college

?  Eligibility: 

• Applications opened to all nationalities
• The candidates must have a first-class bachelor’s or master’s UK degree or equivalent
• The candidates who have stand-alone master’s degrees must have or are about to have a distinction in their relevant programme
• The candidates who have multiple standalone master’s degrees, one of their degrees has the distinction as well as must be relevant to their proposed PhD programme
• Only those candidates will be eligible who have contacted the supervisor and have received confirmation of their assistance in research work candidates
• Only New PhD Students are eligible

Required Documents for President PhD Scholarships:

• Proof of distinction.
• Academic Certificates or degrees.
• Research Proposal
• Reference Letters (Pdf for reference letter specimen/requirements)

⏰  Deadline:

12 January 2026: Scholarship notification by 31 March 2026

2 March 2026: Scholarship notification by 31 May 2026

Apply here: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/postgraduate-doctoral/grants-scholarships/presidents-phd/

According to the website of the Center of Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs of the Ministry of Interior (CAFIA), the Integrated System for Foreign Nationals and Migrants (SIAM) will be active from 13 December 2025 to 17 December 2025 for the implementation of the information update scheme for prima facie refugees under Amayesh 19.

For more information, please visit the CAFIA website.

Academic Year: 2026-2027

The University Twente Scholarship (UTS) in The Netherlands is a scholarship for excellent students from non-EU/EER countries, applying for a graduate programme (MSc) at the University of Twente. Students of Afghan nationality are eligible to apply.

✅ Benefits include: 

• € 3,000 – € 22,000 for one year
• The scholarship is also available for 2-years programme

?  Eligibility: 

• Applications opened to Afghan nationals
• English language test requirement Academic IELTS 6.5 (or TOEFL iBT of 90) and an additional 6.0 (TOEFL iBT 20) on the subscore of speaking skills
• A Bachelor’s Degree

⏰  Deadline:

     Application deadline – round 1:

• Application form opens per 15 October 2025, 09.00 CET
• Application forms closes per 1 February 2026, 16.00 CET (for programmes starting September 2026)

     Application deadline – round 2:

• Application form opens per 1 February 2026, 16.00 CET
• Application form closes per 1 May 2026, 16.00 CET (for programmes starting September 2026)

If you applied in round 1, and your application was rejected, an application in round 2 is not considered. You can only be awarded with one UT scholarship.

Requests for further information contact: [email protected].

Apply here: https://www.utwente.nl/en/education/scholarship-finder/university-of-twente-scholarship#howtoapply

* You have to apply for a Master’s programme first. Once you applied for a Master’s programme and received a (conditional) admission letter, you can apply for the scholarship with your student number. The scholarship is not available for Master’s programmes at the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC). The scholarship is not available for the pre-Master programme.