The Department of Justice has just confirmed to the University Times that it has now refused 97 long-stay student visas for Palestinian Nationals, which is 46 more than in the last week.
In a statement, Department of Justice spokesperson Ciarán Casey clarified the department had received 128 Long-Stay student visa applications. 36 have been granted, and 97 have been refused.
This figure is reported by the Department of Justice as of the 16th of August, 2026. This compares to the 144 total applications that were received by the Department of Justice in 2025, where 122 were accepted and 22 were refused.
This news comes immediately after a protest held outside of the Department of Justice demanding that the Department “let them study” and reverse the visa decisions.
This news also comes after Trinity sent a college-wide email encouraging students to lobby ministers to “express concern and to encourage an urgent review of the situation”.
In a statement, Casey said, “Student visas have been granted by the Department of Justice to a total of 41 Palestinian nationals so far this year.” The 41 figure comes from the inclusion of short-stay visas, of which 5 were granted, and 1 was refused. Casey continued, “In common with the position for all non-EU nationals, entry of Palestinian nationals is undertaken through the existing legal immigration pathways available. Palestinian nationals are visa required and must have a valid Irish visa before they seek to enter Ireland. Each application, regardless of nationality, is decided on its own merit.”
