Call on Government to prioritise Gaza students’ visa applications

Six civil society groups have come together to urge the Irish Government to prioritise the cases of dozens of scholarship students from Gaza who have had their visa applications refused.

Of the 59 Palestinian students who have secured fully or partially funded scholarships at Irish higher education institutions for the coming academic year, at least 31 have had their visa applications refused.

The students have received scholarships to attend various Irish third level institutions, among them University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick, University College Dublin, Atlantic Technological University, and Mary Immaculate College.

With the academic year about to begin, those students face an appeals process that can take up to 12 months, meaning they will, in all likelihood, be unable to attend courses due to begin within weeks.

Six civil society groups have called upon justice minister Jim O’Callaghan to “prioritise and expedite the visa appeals of Palestinian students from Gaza who have secured scholarships and places at Irish universities for the 2026/27 academic year”.

The groups include Action Aid Ireland, Amnesty International Ireland, Christian Aid Ireland, Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), and Sadaka – The Ireland Palestine Alliance.

Joining them is the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics who support the rights of Palestinians and aim to protect their rights through the law.

In a joint statement, the groups said the students had already overcome extraordinary obstacles to secure admission and scholarships while living through the destruction of homes, universities and essential civilian infrastructure.

“The refusals now threaten to deprive these students of the university places and scholarships they have secured,” the groups said.

“Unless their appeals are treated as a matter of urgency, those opportunities may be lost irrespective of whether the appeals are ultimately successful.

“This is particularly acute for students on taught master’s programmes, where late entry is rarely possible.” 

They noted that a successful appeal would provide no meaningful remedy if it came after the academic year has begun.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said Palestinian nationals must have a valid Irish visa before they seek to enter Ireland.

"Each application, regardless of nationality, is decided on its own merit," they said.