Anadolu Agency reported that Canadian advocates and academics urged Ottawa to reassess Palestinian students’ study permit refusals, saying some admitted applicants still lack substantive decisions needed to study in Canada.
At a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, Baher Abdulhai spoke for the Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk Network. He said the network tracks 37 Palestinian students outside the Gaza Strip; about 30 reportedly have received refusals or remain without substantive decisions.
Abdulhai said repeated assurances from Canadian officials about fair treatment had not resolved the students’ cases. He cited reports of lengthy immigration interviews followed by refusals questioning applicants’ credibility or alleged affiliations.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said the students had won admission to leading Canadian universities.
Aaron Shafer, a professor at Trent University, said well over 100 Palestinian graduate students had earned admission to leading Canadian universities. Shafer accused the Canadian government of ignoring the students’ applications for more than two years. Shafer urged officials to assess each application using evidence about the individual, revisit refusals from Cairo and decide pending cases promptly. He also said interviews in Cairo included recurring questions about Hamas at the schools the students had attended.
Abdulhai called for Canada to send a temporary mobile biometrics unit to Gaza. He pointed to Spain and the United Kingdom, which he said had evacuated Palestinian students from Gaza and waived biometric requirements for them.
Firaaz Azeez of the Humaniti Foundation said humanitarian work should address stability and future prospects alongside immediate survival.
