It is being reported that about 20 students who have fully funded scholarships to Irish universities have had their visas denied. RTÉ reported that, as of last month, 9 out of a total of 69 Palestinian visa applications to Ireland this year have been granted, while 27 have been refused – a significantly lower rate of acceptance than last year, which saw the approval of over 80 Gazan applications
Over the last few days, several prominent political figures have weighed in on the situation. Green Party Spokesperson for Justice, Patrick Costello, has been highly critical of the recent government refusals of Palestinian student visas, arguing that they contradict the Irish Government’s claim to be “doing all it can to support Palestine.”
Costello highlighted the need for intervention, particularly on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan. Labour Party Spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Senator Laura Harmon, echoed Costello’s sentiments, urging O’Callaghan to act promptly on the matter.
Harmon went on to argue that these scholarships have been “awarded on merit, not charity,” and therefore that it is imperative that the Irish government satisfy the necessary requirements for these Palestinian students to be able to complete their education in a manner reflective of their academic achievements. Furthermore, Harmon highlighted the discrepancies between the approach of the Department of Higher Education and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration towards Palestinian students, with “one part of Government supporting these students while another prevents them from travelling to Ireland.”
While Sanctuary Scholarships dedicated to providing support to displaced and international protection applicants have been issued by several prominent third-level institutions in Ireland, Palestinian recipients of these scholarships have been refused student visas due to their alleged inability to supply bank statements and to account for gaps in their education, regardless of their mitigating circumstances.
The ISPC has called for a protest on the 31st of July: “Let Them Study” “Palestinian students denied study visas after being asked to justify education gaps during a genocide!”. The protest is taking place at the Department of Justice and is supported by Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ), People Before Profit, Academics for Palestine, among others.
The ISPC are also supporting a petition for O’Callaghan to “Approve visas for students from Gaza who have been granted scholarships to Irish universities.” The petition reads: “The educational and administrative systems in Gaza have broken down and it is impossible for some students to complete every detail in their visa applications. These students have been accepted by Irish universities. They are the people that will be needed to help rebuild the physical and administrative systems in Gaza, if that is ever possible. The Department of Justice can be guided by the applications offices in the different universities and automatically give visa to those students from war-torn Gaza, who have been accepted. We urge you to intervene immediately, and ensure these students can avail of the educational opportunities they, and their communities in Gaza need.”
The college declined to comment.
This is a developing story.
