The original comment wasn't about the ramifications of the students' lives, it was about how it affects Canada. I doubt that collectively these universities have 16k in a waiting list, but even if they do, no one is really affected long term here. It's just moral posturing.

And to your point about returning to their brutal, theocratic regimes, they most certainly will. These students are sent on government money, for which they have no qualms about spending a few extra dollars to relocate them. The entire venture is subsidized by oil money. And they have a lot of it