Concordia students stuck in Gaza speak out about delayed visa process

Over 70 Palestinian students waiting to attend university in Canada are stuck in the Gaza strip, waiting for the final approval of their study permits. Six of these students hope to attend Concordia this academic year.

Many students in Gaza have been waiting for six to eight months to hear back from Immigration refugees and citizenship Canada IRCC regarding their study permits. Some have started to lose offers as a result of not getting these permits, two students, slated to come to the University of Waterloo this fall, were killed.

The Palestinian Students & Scholars at Risk Network, PSSAR, is a group that works to help palestinian academics safely continue or begin their studies. CJLO spoke with the chair of the board for the PSSAR, Dr. Ayman Owieda.

Despite limited internet and electricity access in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade and bombardment of infrastructure, two accepted Concordia students currently living in Gaza were able to connect with CJLO news for interviews. Fatoom and Ahmad have had their last names protected for personal security purposes. They both told CJLO about their lives as they wait for the visa process to proceed.

Representatives from the IRCC would not provide an interview but pointed to a statement explaining that each individual case is being processed but is complex.