Gaza scholarship students refused Irish study visas
Hannah Kate Costello
More than 20 students from Gaza holding fully funded scholarships to Irish universities have had their study visa applications refused this year. At least two of them — brothers, Ahmed Abuhassan and Naim Abuhassan — were refused on 15 July on grounds that included insufficient evidence of English proficiency, despite university documents in their files stating the opposite.
Ahmed's UCD offer letter, dated 16 December 2025, states he "met the English language requirement" on the basis of his test results and "should be exempt from the obligation of providing proof of minimum English language standard for visa purposes."
His refusal letter, issued seven months later under the same visa reference number, lists as a ground: "Insufficient evidence of your level of English has been provided (IELTS or equivalent)." Naim's refusal letter cites the identical ground.
Both refusal letters also cite a failure to "account for gaps in educational/employment history" as grounds for refusal.
Naim's studies in Gaza were interrupted in October 2023 and resumed in 2025 — the period spanning Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the collapse of the territory's education system.
He formally addressed this gap in his original application. Since being refused, he has written directly to the Department of Justice "pleading for the expedited processing and approval" of his visa, telling officials that an Irish-organised student evacuation from Gaza is due to take place next month, but that "the consular division has informed me that they cannot add my name to the evacuation list until my visa decision from the Department of Justice is finalised.
"Missing that window, he wrote, "would mean I will be unable to travel, forcing me to defer my studies to next year," adding: "given the current devastating and dangerous conditions here in Gaza, deferring my studies and remaining here is simply not an option... this visa approval is not just an entry permit for me."
"It is my only pathway to safety and the continuation of my education." Sources within the universities, applicants and those supporting students have said that requirements to formally document and account for such gaps are effectively impossible to meet given the breakdown of ordinary institutional and administrative life in Gaza.
RTÉ News has reported that upwards of 20 Gazan students, all holding fully funded scholarships, have had visa applications turned down, with others still awaiting outcomes — a marked reversal from last year, when more than 80 Gazan students were granted visas and evacuated in a Government-organised operation.
Figures reported by RTÉ News show that by June, nine study visa applications from Palestinian nationals had been granted and 27 refused; by 29 July, that had risen to 22 approved and 51 refused. All approvals so far this year have gone to applicants on Government-funded scholarships, whereas the refusals reported to date include students on university and privately funded scholarships.
The scale of the refusals is now affecting philanthropic funding. A foundation managing donations on behalf of UCD has written to a donor, asking them to pause a €1.2 million gift meant to support more than 20 students on master's programmes, "until we receive confirmation regarding student visas for the academic year 2026-2027."
The issue has drawn cross-party criticism. Green Party spokesperson on Higher Education Eva Dowling called on the Minister for Higher Education "to work directly with his Cabinet colleague in Justice and to urgently find a solution for these students," noting that "term starts in a matter of weeks, and students need clarity on this situation."
Labour's Laura Harmon called on Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan "to urgently review these cases," saying the reported grounds for refusal "appear completely disconnected from the reality facing people in Gaza today."
MEP Barry Andrews noted that "Ireland approves over 40,000 student visas a year, for Brazilians, Indians, Chinese and many others," and said it was "strange these handful of talented Gazans, already granted scholarships, are being refused."
The Department of Justice has been contacted for comment on the specific discrepancies between the refusal letters issued to Abuhassan and Naim and the documentation already held in both applicants' files.
