Ottawa – A group of Canadian academics call the federal government to speed up the approval of student visas for Palestinians, when two students could leave the region before they were accepted at a Canadian University.
Ayman Oweda, the Palestinian students and president of the scholars in the risk network, said two students, twins were killed in an air strike in Gaza in December.
Palestinian students and scholar in the risk network are a volunteer group of Canadian academics that help add Palestinian students at graduate level and above in Canada.
But its work was set back by Israeli’s military operations in Gaza Strip. The Canadian government has no diplomatic presence there – which means that students in Enclave have no way to enter biometric data with the government to complete their visa applications.
The network says it has placed about 70 students in universities across the country, with several complete scholarships.
Oweda said, “Apart from two students killed, 15 students in Gaza have lost family members … they said direct family members, brothers, sisters, parents, and so on,” said Oveda.
Oweda, who researches the treatment of cancer at the University of Sherbrook, stated that a student who was going to work with him on a project is trapped in Gaza for a year.
He said that the Canadian side of the network has reached the MPs to try to resolve the issue.
“I think the Canadian government has really a wonderful opportunity here to pursue his game and do something … to resolve the issue and bring these students home, the house means Canada,” he said.
One of the Canadian-bound students is still Meera Paliona, who is still trapped in Gaza, living near Rafah Border Crossing.
A 25 -year -old masters student said that in December 2023, she had applied at Regina University while living in a tent with her family. He was accepted at the Industrial Engineering Program in April 2024 and submitted his Canadian student visa application in July 2024.
Faluuna said that she was about to start her studies last September. Because she is unable to provide biometric data required for her visa application, she said, her file is also stuck in Limbo, even she moves forward to study in places like France, Ireland and Italy.
“I don’t want to be among the dead. I want to be counted as dreamers as future engineers, professors, doctors,” Falona told Canadian Press.
“I want to be a person who has an impact in Canada and even a day to return to his country and help in reconstructing the Palestinian educational system.”
Matthew Kruvovich, a spokesman at immigration, refugees and citizenship Canada, said that biometrics can only be completed when someone leaves a gaza.
He said that countries of the region including Egypt and Israel controlled their entry and exit requirements on their borders.
People coming from Gaza to Canada also have to undergo an additional security screening since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“As the safety screening is conducted by agencies outside the IRCC, we are unable to provide average processing time,” Krrupovich said in an email response. Each application is different and as a result, the process may vary. “
“All study permit applications around the world are evaluated equally and against similar criteria, regardless of the original country. Security screening is one, but not only, factor that can result in high processing time.”
The cross crossing Rafah border in Egypt has been closed since May 2024. Faliauna said that the rest of the families of his family reached Egypt five days before the border was closed.
Paliona said that he is afraid that he and his partner Palestinian students may completely lose their placements.
He said, “I am now getting a support from my professor. He pushed it every time to accept my island letter, but I am still at risk not to be accepted next time because I already asked for a deferred three times for my entry three times for my entry,” he said.
Aaron Shefer, an associate professor specialized at the genomics at Trent University at Peterbaro, ONTS, said that a Palestinian student who was going to work with him is stuck in Gaza for eight months.
Shafar said that he feels that the student has lost weight in the last eight months due to a strict decrease of food in Gaza.
“He was probably weighed – just looking at the pictures, we never met – 60 kg, but he is a small man. And last week he said, ‘We are happy because people are getting food. We have not met anymore yet, but we are happy,” Shafar said.
Shefer said that about one -third of students accepted by universities in Canada are already in Egypt, but are still waiting for their visa applications to be processed.
“This is literally 70 students. And so what we are asking is to process the visa of 70 students who have positions in Canadian laboratories,” he said.
For now, all Falesauna and other students can wait and try to survive.
“I want to say to the Canadian government that we want to behave as other students who came from risky situations from the countries of the world like Ukraine and Syria,” he said.
“We want to behave like them. We want to behave properly, we want them to get that support. We just want to survive to fulfill our dreams.”
This report of Canadian Press was first published on July 4, 2025.
David Baxter, Canadian Press
