Palestinian students say visa delays are still stranded despite admission to Canadian schools
Last year, more than 70 Palestinian students were alerted to Canada’s stagnant immigrants awaiting war in Gaza or near Egypt and Jordan despite receiving admissions and scholarships at universities across the country.
“The situation in Gaza is tough every day, and their goal is to be many crowded and random places,” said Meera, an industrial engineering student. Meera, who accepted a scholarship for a master's degree at the Regina University of Regina, but she was unable to wait in the Gaza City stamped, but she was unable to submit a visa application to the federal immigration department.
“Like many other students, I'm plagued by my dreams,” she told CBC News in an interview with CBC News.
CBC News only uses her name because she is worried about her safety. The CBC has seen a letter of acceptance from Regina University, as well as paperwork, indicating that she has started immigration files with the Canadian government.
Twin sisters Sally and Dalia Ghazi were killed in December 2024 after a PhD program at the University of Southern Ontario at Waterloo The school says Israeli air strike.
“They didn't even start dreaming,” said Mira, who knew her sister.
“They are really amazing girls and they are always looking for new opportunities and new opportunities to learn more about opportunities in Canada,” she said.
Ontario Waterloo announced that it will be killed in a Gaza site this month in the Israel-Hamas war, where the sister will kill her doctorate. The 26-year-old was accepted into the school’s Global Student Relief Program, which supports students in conflict areas. Karis Mapp of CBC KW visited the university, spoke to individuals participating in the scholarship program, and reacted to the news.
Like dozens of other students, Meera, with the help of a Canadian nonprofit, attempted to visit Canada, a Palestinian student and a risky scholar. (PSSAR). According to PSSAR, more than 70 students are trapped in Gaza, waiting for it.
The federal government has provided a major issue for Palestinians trying to leave Gaza and enter Canada, which is to obtain security permissions by providing photos and fingerprints, known as biometric technology. Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship (IRCC) in Canada cannot perform these tests on the ground because it does not exist in the war zone.
“The movement abroad to Gaza remains extremely challenging and may be impossible at the moment, as the state and other actors set their own entry and exit requirements,” the IRCC said in a statement.
The professor found that the government's explanation was very thin
The IRCC's explanation was not satisfied with Aaron Shafer, a professor of forensic science at Trent University in Peterborough, who is working with PSSAR to take away another Palestinian student waiting in Gaza.
“We know other countries have managed to do it. For example, France has managed to promote the safe passage of students,” he said. “I would call on the Canadian government to try to promote something similar.”
In January 2025, French media reported During the previous year, about 32 students were able to study in Franceincluding at least one directly from Gaza.
Shafer also said about one-third of students PSSAR tried to help have left Gaza and waited in Egypt or Jordan, and the Canadian government has not handled their paperwork.
“If the Canadian government would process visas, they could be in the labs at the University of British Columbia or the University of Toronto tomorrow,” he said.
A student CBC News Alaa said in Cairo, Egypt that he submitted immigration documents in May 2024. He has been waiting for approval since then.
Alaa, who is taking a PhD program in Montreal, said he has not received any updates from the IRCC.
CBC News also saw his documentation and agreed not to use his fill-in name to worry about his safety.
Alaa said he lived alone, separated from his wife and four children who remained in Gaza and could hardly speak to them.
He completed his previous degree in Gaza, but his university, like all other degrees in the territory, has been escalating in the war between Israel and Hamas, and has been raging since October 2023.
“That’s also a reason, and it also led me to decide to go to Canada to complete my PhD, return to Gaza, enrich and contribute to the reconstruction of our academic institution.”
The last 15 months of the war put schools and universities in Gaza into ruins. Former biochemistry professor Muhammed Khattab hired a CBC freelancer to look at the rest of Al-Azhar University and try to save everything he could do.
The admission clock ticked
Another obstacle for students is about the expiration date of admission or scholarship.
Meera told CBC News that she had started two delays at the Regina University of Regina and was worried about doing so for the third time.
CBC News ALAA's admission letter says his proposal will only be valid if “course registration is conducted for the fall semester of 2025.”
When asked about the delays for students who have left Gaza and waited for visas elsewhere, the IRCC said: “Each application is different, so the processing time may vary. The processing time may vary depending on a variety of factors of the application, such as whether the application is complete, whether the IRCC needs to wait for other information, whether the IRCC can easily verify the information of the IRCC and provide information of complexity.”
The IRCC has not answered questions directly about whether it is connected to France or other allies to help students leaving Gaza.
“We cannot comment on bilateral discussions in other countries with foreign governments,” it said.
