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BACKGROUND AND NEED
On 20th July 2025 it was first revealed by the Sunday Times that after being accepted for study at a whole range of British Universities, some on prestigeous government-funded Chevening Scholarships, students from Gaza are having impossible visa demands placed on them.
As the Sunday Times wrote "While other countries such as Italy, Ireland, Germany and France have taken students to study in their universities, the Home Office is insisting students for UK universities first need to provide biometric data (fingerprints and photographs) to apply for a visa, even though the relevant Gaza office has been shut since the October 7 attacks in 2023 after which Israel launched its invasion.
The nearest safe places with offices are Jordan and Egypt but the students need British government intervention to enable them to leave Gaza. Italy got round this by taking the data after the students had crossed the border while Ireland waived the requirement altogether, taking out 16 students in May."
Further items subsequently appeared in the Telegraph, the Times Higher Education Supplement, and the Guardian, with detailled case studies, and reports of a large and growing groundswell of support for these students from across society.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
There is a Change.org petition which anyone can sign.
The students trapped in Gaza have an Instagram account, and a Linktree linking to other social media accounts that they are running about their campaign, and a template letter for people to send to their MPs.
The Government position on this needs reversing, and this will be most likely to happen if MPs from all sides of the House put pressure on government to change its position.
FULL TEXT OF OPEN LETTER
Open letter: Request for biometric deferral and safe evacuation of incoming Palestinian students and scholars from Gaza to UK Universities
More than 40 students currently trapped in Gaza with full scholarships to UK Universities are asking for a safe route to come and study. We, the academic community hoping to welcome these scholars, call on the UK government, Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office to facilitate a biometric visa deferral and open a route of safe passage for our incoming students so they can take up their places of study in September.
As recently outlined in the Telegraph, the Times, the Guardian, Channel 4 News and Times Higher Education, 40 students (as well a further 40, waiting for scholarship decisions and private funding) living amidst conditions of complete devastation in Gaza are facing an administrative block to enable them to take up places at top UK universities. The UK government is yet to open a path whereby these students could apply for a visa and safely travel to their universities. This is despite repeated requests for assistance from UK universities and academics since the spring of 2025.
UK visas require applicants to enroll their biometrics data before an application can be processed. Since 7 October 2023, the Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Gaza has been closed, with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) citing safety concerns for staff and applicants. A biometrics deferral protocol was established in 2023, but efforts made by both students and legal counsel to apply for this deferral have so far gone unanswered.
Without action, these students–already trapped by a global political system that has failed them–will be blocked by the UK’s visa system, despite their incredible work in obtaining some of the most competitive scholarships in the country. UK universities have an opportunity to build the capacity of these scholars and equip them with cutting edge resources in health, engineering, humanities and social sciences, which will be fundamental to the eventual rebuilding of Gaza.
We urge Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and MENA Minister Hamish Falconer to:
Make the deferral of biometric data application for visa applicants in Gaza accessible and expediated
Open a route of safe passage for the scholars to enroll their biometrics and travel to the UK
As the start of the new academic year approaches, we urgently request action–for the futures of these students and for the future of Gaza.
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