Palestinian students accepted to Canadian universities remain trapped in Gaza
Nine prospective Palestinian U of T students are stuck in limbo due to study visa delays from the federal government.

Over 130 Palestinian students have been admitted to Canadian universities, but remain unable to leave Gaza due to visa delays. According to the Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk Network (PSSAR), nine of those students were accepted to the University of Toronto (U of T). 

The PSSAR, a non-profit organization established in 2024 by Canadian academics, has been working to support postgraduate Gazan students by connecting students to professors, assisting with applications, funding and advocating for institutional support. 

Despite receiving admission letters and, in some cases, scholarships, these students are stuck in limbo as immigration barriers prevent them from beginning their studies.

Biometric verification has been the main obstacle for Gazan students, a required step in Canada’s study permit process, involving fingerprints and photographs. According to the UK parliament, biometric centres in Gaza have been closed since October 2023 due to safety concerns for staff and customers. 

With biometric centres inoperable, students are unable to complete this step in identity verification. Since then, the Rafah border has also closed in May 2024, and many have been unable to leave Gaza and access these centres in Cairo. Israeli authorities reopened the Rafah crossing on February 3.

Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship and Canada (IRCC) has not granted any biometric exceptions to Palestinian students. The IRCC advises students to wait until they can secure biometric verification. Even students who manage to secure biometric verification face lengthy background checks.

PSSAR’s mission

The PSSAR website shares the organization’s focus on rebuilding Gaza academics beyond undergrad, providing opportunities and support for over 130 graduate students in Gaza. The PSSAR is currently working with nine post-grad and PhD students with admission to UofT. 

According to PSSAR, “Our vision is to foster meaningful connections between students and scholars in Gaza and universities and colleges in Canada. We strive to identify and facilitate graduate study opportunities for Palestinians to come to Canada (and worldwide), to promote collaboration between Palestinian and Canadian academics, and to address the academic needs of Gazans in light of the complete destruction of all universities in Gaza.”

The PSSAR offers two programs, Match and Assists and Twin Labs. The match and assist program allows professors abroad to match with students, assist them in interviews, and the application process. The twin labs program focuses on fostering collaboration between Canadian and Palestinian laboratories. The labs often include one Palestinian professor, two Palestinian students and a partnership with a Canadian professor. The team collaborates on projects and helps connect students to the academic community. 

The organization has received support from the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA). The UTFA has called on the university administration to expedite the admissions process, set domestic rates for PSSAR-supported students and establish scholarships for the students, matching the C$1 million funding provided for Ukrainian students. 

Student voices

According to UNICEF, more than 97 per cent of schools and universities in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since October 2023. Younger Palestinian students are left with makeshift education centres doubling as shelters, while post-grad students are mourning what’s left of their universities, research communities and academic futures. 

According to the PSSAR, many students deal with losses, displacement, and severe injuries. Yet, students remain hopeful about the opportunity to study in Canada and pursue a career. 

The PSSAR warns that continued delays could mean students lose funding, scholarships, opportunities, and delay life-saving measures. In December 2024, two sisters, Sally and Dalia Ghazi Ibaid, PSSAR-supported students from Gaza who had been admitted to the University of Waterloo PhD program, were killed in an airstrike.

Students at the U of T Mississauga (UTM) have also raised concerns. In the recent UTM Young Liberals event, an anonymous student expressed their concerns to the Members of Parliament panel. They questioned what actions the MPs are taking to further support Palestinian students who are trapped in Gaza. MP Al-Soud and MP Khalid, who were present on the panel, shared that they are working alongside PSSAR and are working to spread the issue to other cabinet members. 

In an interview with The Medium, a PSSAR volunteer and UTM student, who wished to remain anonymous, discussed the impact UofT students can create. 

The student reiterated the PSSARs campaign to increase scholarship funding to PSSAR-supported students. “Where they’re located is what is stopping them from coming, and the lack of scholarships.” The student added, “Students within U of T can make an impact within U of T,” they said, “We have a role to take on. We need to do something.” 

A voice from Gaza 

In a Zoom interview with The Medium, Nour, a PhD student from Gaza, who wished to keep her last name anonymous due to safety concerns, discussed the reality of students in Gaza. Nour is a PhD student with interests in civil engineering and artificial intelligence. 

Nour received her PhD admission offer from U of T in May 2024 with the support of the PSSAR and later applied for her study permit in June that same year. She has spent nearly two years waiting for a study, with hopes to focus her research on civil engineering and reducing the harmful effects of pollution. Instead, she says she now spends her time tracking application updates, contacting the IRCC, and reapplying to U of T. 

Nour has received support from the UofT Centre for International Experience, which served as her representative to the IRCC. She shared that in the time she’s waited to receive her study visa and support from the IRCC, “I have wasted two years, I couldn’t start my education. Maybe I [could] have finished my courses in these two years.” 

Students in Gaza, like Nour, have completed their applications amid a genocide, working towards their study visas, facing high risks every day. Nour says, “Every person has their story. We all struggled to get scholarships and to get admitted to universities.” She adds, “The ceasefire is not completely true; we are still at risk.”

Getting involved

PSSAR Director of Student Services, Nada El-Falou, shared in an interview with The Medium what role Canadian students have in supporting students like Nour. Canada is known for its top universities, as Prime Minister Mark Carney said in the recent World Economic Forum event, “We have the most educated population in the world.” Palestinian students, as El-Falou stated, “They’re a very persevering community.”

Canadian students can campaign alongside PSSAR, working as “The engine of society / to be the reason [these students] can prosper in life.” El-Falou concluded, “As Canadians, not only students, send emails to your MP’s and [the] Minister of Immigration.” 

The PSSAR postcard campaign is a method to get involved; signed postcards demand action from Immigration Minister Lena Diab and the Prime Minister. Students can volunteer for PSSAR and work alongside Palestinian students on the match and assist program. Further information for advocacy and campaigning can be found on the PSSAR website.