At least 20 students from Saudi Arabia are reportedly set to file asylum claims in order to stay in Canada.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland had signalled that Canada will not be backing down from its critical stance against Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. (JIMMY JEONG / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The students, whose deadline to leave Canada passed last Friday, are being advised by Omar Abdulaziz, a Saudi activist who secured asylum in Canada in 2014.

Abdulaziz, who is now studying political science and sociology at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, says he is helping the students get in touch with lawyers and fill out the paperwork needed to make an asylum claim.

The claims will be the latest turn of events in a diplomatic dispute between Ottawa and Riyadh that began in August.

Saudi Arabia expelled Canada’s ambassador over what officials called “blatant interference in the Kingdom’s domestic affairs,” after Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland tweeted that Canada was “very alarmed” by the arrest of two women activists and urged Saudi authorities to release them.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, has refused to apologize to Saudi Arabia, which continues to imprison activists despite reforms brought in under Crown Mohammed bin Salman, left. (Cliff Owen/AP, Patrick Doyle/CP )

Saudi Arabia also recalled its ambassador in Ottawa, halted all new investment and trade transactions with Canada, ordered Saudi students–including about 1,000 studying in medical fields–to leave Canada and transfer to other countries, and suspended flights to Canada.

The medical students–originally ordered to leave by August 31–had their deadline extended to Sept. 22 before being informed last week that they would be “allowed to continue in their present training programs until such time as an alternative assignment could be arranged,”

This likely means the medical students and fellows studying and working in 14 of Canada’s 17 medical schools and teaching hospitals, would be here until next summer.

However, there was no reprieve for Saudi students enrolled in other programs in Canada’s education system.

There are conflicting reports about how many Saudi students were actually in Canada when the dispute broke out

One estimate says 15,000, others set it at around 9,000.

It is also unclear about how many Saudi students may have already left Canada.

With files from RCI, CBC, Global, Toronto Star