More than 100 Palestinian students have been denied visas to study in Ireland by the Department of Justice, with only 39 being granted this year. This is in stark contrast to the previous year, when 122 were accepted compared to only 22 refusals.
The majority of these students had received funding and scholarships, fully meeting the universities’ criteria, but were rejected for reasons such as insufficient documentation, gaps in education and employment history, and insufficient evidence for intention to return to Gaza upon the completion of their education.
Despite the drastic drop in the acceptance rate, the Department of Justice has stated that nothing has changed between the 2025 and 2026 applications, and that all applications are assessed based on individual merits, insisting that standard immigration rules apply equally to all international students.
Though the visa deadline has elapsed, many students are appealing these rejections. Phoenix Law, representing 20-year-old Engineering student Hafez Alrayyes, appeared before the High Court on Monday, to apply for a judicial review against justice minister Jim O’Callaghan. 30 similar cases are being prepared on behalf of denied Palestinian students.
Alrayyes was refused as he was unable to provide original documents in his visa application. “The civilian infrastructure that would allow Alrayyes to go to a bank or post office to get such documents no longer exists in Gaza,” the student’s legal team claimed. “The Minister’s stance is irrational, unreasonable, disproportionate, discriminatory and fails to react to the necessary urgency of the situation.”
Significant backlash has arisen over the sudden rise in denied visas. Last Wednesday, five Trinity College Dublin Students chained themselves to handrails outside the Department of Justice office, among them was Amy Kennedy, president of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union. “It was cold, and I’m very, very damp but I don’t care,” said Kennedy speaking to the Irish Times, “We’re here for a reason. When the department isn’t listening, that isn’t enough, and at that point I’m willing to continue doing stuff like this until they start caring.”
Additionally, international academics cancelled an event taking place in Maynooth University in protest of the visa denials. The Al-Hadinah al-Fikriyya collective, an international community of scholars and intellectuals, was set to hold a conference in October but has postponed the conference till the visa dispute has been settled.
In an open letter the collective stated, “Some of the rationales for the refusals add an extraordinary degree of petty cruelty to the process, such as asking for copies of academic credentials or bank statements to be mailed by individuals living under the conditions of Israel’s genocide where there is no functioning infrastructure, including schools and universities, of any kind, let alone a postal or banking service. To deny an individual, already vetted and admitted by one of Ireland’s universities on the basis of their intellectual achievements and promise, because they have been obliged by Israel’s three years of unrelenting destruction to live in a displacement camp, adds an unconscionable insult to the disappointment of legitimate hopes.”
Speaking to Teachers for Palestine, an active network of educators that coordinates solidarity actions, campaigns, and curriculum-linked educational resources about the Palestinian cause, they praised the court’s highlighting of the urgency of Alrayyes’ case. “We are highly in favour of granting visas to these Palestinian students,” said a representative, also stating they were “not receptive to and even sceptical of the given reasons for denial”.
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