Following the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement, which epitomises border externalisation, the EU pledged 6 billion euros for projects for refugees in Turkey. Among these, Promoting the Integration of Syrian Kids into Turkish Education System (PIKTES) is the largest education project, aiming to support the language learning, academic development, and social inclusion of refugee students in Turkish public schools. Recent sociolinguistic research frames language learning and proficiency in migration contexts as forms of “bordering”, viewing language assessment as a tool for border control that governs access to rights and privileges. While sociolinguistics has long studied language use as a form of border-making, the intersection of language policies and migration status necessitates interdisciplinary exploration. Employing the critical sociolinguistic ethnography framework, I explore how the categorisations enabled by PIKTES function as everyday bordering practices with academic and social consequences. Through the analysis of field notes, classroom observations, interviews with school staff, parents, and students as well as policy documents and visuals, this chapter illustrates how bordering practices are often based on migrants’ deservingness and how the external border regime shapes public opinion and legitimises the border guard roles voluntarily assumed by teachers and school administrators.