The Department of Justice has confirmed that it makes no “special arrangements for Palestinian nationals” and has no plans to introduce any in response to a plea from the National College of Art and Design Students’ Union (NCADSU) on behalf of two Gazan postgraduates holding NCAD scholarships for September.
NCAD SU President Roy Fox and Vice President Mia Mac Mahon reached out to Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan on July 29th, outlining their fundraising efforts, saying they felt they were “hitting a wall” with the Department of Justice’s visa approval process, which they called “overly-stringent” because it “holds Gazan students to a standard that is impossible to comply to, given their current situation”. They pointed out that international students are assessed on the same baseline requirements, but it ignores “the reality that Gazans have lived through”, which has “been extensively documented since the current genocide began in 2023”. They said the need for original documents, educational gaps, and evidence that students will return home were unreasonable, due to frequent evacuation, the destruction of educational institutions in Gaza (over 95%), and the absence of a solid plan for the reconstruction of Gaza. They also pointed out that appeals can only be made by post, and there is no working postal system in Gaza. They finished, “If the universal requirements for access are unreasonably obstructive for one group of people, then it will fail these people almost every time, regardless of their efforts.”
The Department of Justice responded two weeks later on August 11th, and NCAD SU received a response from Ellen Byrne, the private secretary to O’Callaghan on his behalf. Byrne said that the minister was “acutely aware of the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza”, and said, “In common with the position for all non-EU nationals, entry of Palestinian nationals is undertaken through the existing legal immigration pathways available.” Byrne also directed NCAD SU to irishimmigration.ie. Importantly, not all non-EU nationals are the same, with less stringent requirements for those coming from visa-free countries, like the United States.
Byrne went on to detail that the process is “designed to establish that a person has a legitimate reason to come to Ireland prior to travel” and that “There are no special arrangements for Palestinian nationals in place, nor are there any plans to introduce any.” Byrne also said that visa applications are examined by the Embassy of Ireland in Tel Aviv, and “All visa applicants are advised that the responsibility is on them to provide as much information in support of their applications as they feel is necessary. Guidelines in this regard are posted on our website. Applicants that carefully follow these guidelines have an improved prospect of receiving a positive decision at first instance. The reasons for a refusal are outlined in the decision letter issued to the applicants.”
However, this year the visa process seems markedly different. So far, 27 of 36 student visa applicants from Palestine have been denied (75%) compared to last year, when 22 of 136 were denied (16%). The difference appears to be in state-funded versus university- or non-state-funded scholarships, where those with scholarships from the state are more likely to be accepted.
There has been significant public pressure on the Department of Justice since RTÉ reported the refusal rates on July 28th, including a protest outside the department, letters, and fundraising efforts from student organisations including NCAD SU and Trinity BDS.
