Palestinian students say visa delays have stranded them despite admission to Canadian schools

Raffy Boudjikanian · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 04, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

With 2 of their peers killed past year, much than 70 Palestinian students are raising the alarm implicit stalled migration to Canada contempt admissions and scholarships astatine universities crossed the country, stranding them successful Gaza oregon adjacent Egypt and Jordan arsenic they hold retired a war.

"The concern successful Gaza is getting hard time by day, they are targeting galore crowded and random places," said Meera, an concern engineering pupil who has been accepted to the University of Regina connected scholarships to prosecute a master's degree, but is stuck waiting successful Gaza City, wherever she's incapable to taxable a completed visa exertion to the national Immigration Department. 

"Like truthful galore different students, I go trapped with my dreams," she told CBC News successful an interview. 

CBC News is lone utilizing her archetypal sanction owed to concerns for her safety. CBC has seen her acceptance missive from the University of Regina, arsenic good arsenic paperwork showing she has started an migration record with the Canadian government. 

In December 2024, duplicate sisters Sally and Dalia Ghazi were killed aft being accepted into a PhD programme astatine the University of Waterloo successful confederate Ontario, successful what the schoolhouse described arsenic an Israeli airstrike.

"They didn't adjacent commencement their dreams," said Meera, who knew the sisters. 

"They were precise fantabulous girls who were ever asking caller opportunities and caller accidental to cognize much accusation astir opportunities successful Canada," she said. 

WATCH | Twin sisters from Gaza acceptable to be Canadian assemblage killed successful war:

Like dozens of different students, Meera has tried getting done to Canada with the assistance of a Canadian non-profit called Palestinian Students and Scholars astatine Risk. (PSSAR). According to PSSAR, determination are much than 70 students who are stuck successful Gaza waiting to get here. 

The national authorities maintains the superior contented for Palestinians trying to permission Gaza and participate Canada is obtaining information clearance by providing photos and fingerprints, known arsenic biometrics. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) cannot administer these tests connected the crushed since it has nary beingness successful the warfare zone. 

"Movement retired of Gaza remains highly challenging and whitethorn not beryllium imaginable astatine this time, arsenic countries and different actors acceptable their ain introduction and exit requirements," IRCC said successful a statement.

Professors find authorities mentation thin

IRCC's mentation did not fulfill Aaron Shafer, a prof successful Forensic Science astatine Trent University successful Peterborough, who is moving with the PSSAR to bring implicit different Palestinian pupil waiting successful Gaza. 

"We cognize that different countries person managed to bash this. France, for example, has managed to facilitate harmless transition for students," helium said. "I would telephone connected and inquire the Canadian authorities to effort to facilitate thing similar."

In January 2025, French media reported immoderate 32 students had managed to get to France to prosecute studies implicit the people of the erstwhile year, including astatine slightest 1 straight from Gaza. 

Shafer besides says about a 3rd of the students PSSAR is attempting to assistance person already near Gaza and are waiting successful Egypt oregon Jordan, wherever the Canadian authorities inactive has yet to process their paperwork. 

"They could beryllium successful their laboratory time astatine the University of British Columbia oregon the University of Toronto, if the Canadian authorities would process their visas," helium said. 

Alaa, 1 pupil CBC News spoke to successful Cairo, Egypt, said helium submitted his migration paperwork successful May 2024. He's been waiting for support since then. 

Accepted into a PhD programme successful Montreal, Alaa says he has not received immoderate update from IRCC.

CBC News has besides seen his documentation and is agreeing not to usage his capable sanction in concern for his safety. 

Alaa says he lives alone, separated from his woman and 4 children who stay successful Gaza, and is hardly capable to talk to them. 

He completed erstwhile degrees successful Gaza, but says his university, similar each others successful the territory, has been levelled successful the warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas that has been raging since October 2023. 

"That's a crushed besides that's made maine instrumentality a decision to question to Canada to implicit my PhD, to instrumentality to Gaza, to enrich and lend to rebuild our world establishment." 

WATCH | Professor successful Gaza returns to a assemblage field destroyed by war:

Clock ticking connected admissions

Another obstacle the students are facing is expiry dates connected admissions oregon scholarships. 

Meera told CBC News she has already doubly deferred starting astatine the University of Regina, and is acrophobic astir having to bash that a 3rd time.

The admittance missive CBC News saw for Alaa said his connection is valid lone if "it is followed by a people registration successful the Fall 2025 semester." 

Asked astir delays for students who person already gotten retired of Gaza and are waiting for visas elsewhere, IRCC said "each exertion is different, and arsenic a result, the clip it takes to process whitethorn vary. Processing times tin alteration based connected a assortment of factors, specified arsenic whether an exertion is complete, if IRCC has to hold for further information, however easy IRCC tin verify the accusation provided, and the complexity of an application." 

IRCC besides did not straight reply a question astir whether it is successful interaction with France oregon different allied countries astir champion practices to assistance students leaving Gaza.

"We can't remark connected different countries' bilateral discussions with overseas governments," it said.