Palestinian students accepted into Canadian universities remain ‘trapped’ in Gaza by visa delays

When Meera Falyouna applied for a Canadian graduate program in December 2023, she was living in a tent.

Displaced by war, frequently without electricity or internet access, and unsure of what the next day would bring, the 26-year-old industrial engineering graduate from Gaza completed the application over several days — walking through rubble to find a signal so she could work on it.

Months later, Falyouna was accepted into the industrial engineering masters program at the University of Regina (new window), with funding tied to a research project and a supervisor prepared to welcome her to Canada.

Nearly two years later, she’s still waiting in the war-torn region.

I’m still trapped here in Gaza, facing a horrible situation, facing displacement, she said.

Since her acceptance in April 2024, she has had to defer her admission three times. Her final opportunity to begin the program is September 2026.

What’s stopping her is a requirement she has no way of completing, she said.

How [can] they ask us for biometrics while we cannot leave Gaza? The borders are closed. We’re trapped here.

The borders are closed. We’re trapped here.- Meera Falyouna

Biometrics (new window) — fingerprints and photographs required for Canadian visas — can only be collected outside Gaza, typically in Egypt or the West Bank.

Before the war, Palestinians regularly travelled through the Rafah crossing to complete the process in Egypt. But that route has remained closed for months, despite ongoing rumours that it may reopen.

Falyouna is one of more than 130 students who have been accepted into Canadian universities but remain unable to enter the country.

The students have been accepted to universities across Canada, from Ontario to Saskatchewan and Alberta.

We are waiting, but we are losing also. We’re losing our energy, our health, our passion to get education and to continue, Falyouna said.

It’s not easy to spend two years of just losing things. We faced a lot of hard moments where we saw [the] killing of people that we love, a family member, friend, relatives.

Universities ready, professors waiting

Falyouna applied to the University of Regina through Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk (PSSAR) (new window), an advocacy organization that helps match Palestinian graduate students with professors abroad and covers application fees.

Once accepted, students are required to complete their study permit applications.

Falyouna’s supervisor at the University of Regina, Dr. Eman Almehdawe, said Falyouna was selected through an intensive international admissions process.

The program is very competitive, especially if you’re talking about international students. We have so many applicants to our programs, she said.

Dr. Almehdawe says the U of R has accepted seven to eight students from Gaza.

The university expanded its Project Resilience program — originally designed to support students fleeing conflicts such as the war in Ukraine — to include Palestinian students seeking to join Canadian programs.

It issued funding letters, offered financial support and allowed certain academic credentials to be verified after arrival, recognizing that all 12 universities in Gaza have been destroyed since 2023.

Despite those efforts, delays in immigration processing have left students and supervisors in limbo.

Our grants have timelines. Our research projects have deadlines. We hope to see [the students] soon, she said.

‘Their lives are at risk’

According to PSSAR, more than 130 Palestinian students with acceptances into Canadian universities have been waiting up to 19 months to enter the country.

About 30 of them are currently outside Gaza, while the remaining 100 or so are still inside the territory.

Nada El-Falou, director of student services at PSSAR, described the situation as a bureaucratic chicken and egg loop.

They can’t leave Gaza because they don’t have a visa, but they don’t have a visa because they can’t leave Gaza and give their biometrics, she said.

Several students outside Gaza have already submitted their biometrics and are still waiting for decisions on their applications, she added.

The consequences of prolonged delays are not abstract, El-Falou said.

Their lives are at risk. We’ve already had two students who passed away in an airstrike after securing their admissions.

SSAR said several students have also lost their Canadian offers after funding expired or universities could no longer defer admissions. Others accepted offers in Europe, where governments coordinated evacuations and expedited visa processing — despite Canada being their first choice.

Government response

CBC News reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Minister Lena Metlege Diab for an interview. The request was declined and a written statement was provided.

The department said study permit applications must meet all immigrant requirements, including biometrics and security screening.

IRCC said biometrics can only be collected once applicants leave Gaza, and movement out of the territory remains challenging.

The statement said processing times vary, adding that IRCC cannot predict timelines for regions like Gaza.

While other countries provide on-the-ground assistance, IRCC does not help facilitate safe passage for people in Palestine.

Still waiting

For hopeful students like Meera, the waiting continues.

She follows news of student evacuations in countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy and Ireland where accepted students have been safely transported out of Gaza and enrolled in their programs, while her own case remains unresolved.

We went through so much to reach this, she said. We deserve this chance.

This article is republished from RCI.