Stranded Palestinian students seeing visas processed after long wait

OTTAWA — A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Lena Diab said Tuesday that expedited visa processing for 37 Gazan students and their families stranded in third countries is now underway.

But members of Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk, PSSAR, say the interview process for these students is more like a “witch hunt,” with interviewers pressing the students on their reasons for attending state-funded universities in Gaza under a Hamas government.

“The line of reasoning was, ‘Explain why you went to this school. Does this not mean that you’re affiliated with Hamas?’ And the students say, ‘We went to the state-run schools.’ This couldn’t possibly have been a political choice on our part but that appears not to have been accepted,” Terezia Zoric, president of the University of Toronto Faculty Association, told a Tuesday press conference.

“The students have shared with us other lines of questioning that are all premised on the idea that you’re guilty until proven innocent, with gotcha-type questions.”

Zoric added that Gazan students now in Egypt would have been cleared already by Israel to cross the border, so there’s no reason to believe they have a credible connection to Hamas.

A spokesperson for Diab’s office, when asked for response on the “witch hunt” comments, said it has nothing to add to a statement issued Monday night.

“The safety of Canadians must remain our top priority. Every applicant must complete biometrics, pass security and admissibility checks, and meet the requirements of the immigration program under which they apply. These safeguards protect both the integrity of our system and the people who rely on it,” Laura Blondeau, Diab’s communications director, said in a statement Monday.

News about the visa processing follows a lengthy advocacy campaign by Canadian academics who have been calling on the government to do more for Palestinian students who have been waiting upwards of two years for a visa decision.

Student visas are typically processed within a matter of weeks, although the waiting period can vary by country.

Advocates say about 130 Palestinian students who have been accepted at Canadian universities are still stuck abroad. Most of them are still in Gaza, where Israel controls entries and exits.

These students are masters and PhD-level students who have been accepted to research roles at Canadian schools, according to PSSAR.

Blondeau said in a statement Monday that most of the 37 students who are not in Gaza have received a final decision. She did not say how many have been approved or denied.

Amer Shalaby, a University of Toronto engineering professor and PSSAR board member, said while the group is not aware of any of the students being approved for visas at this point, some have withdrawn their applications.

“They have lost hope in the possibility of receiving a favourable response from Canada, or at least a transparent process that they can understand,” Shalaby told a House of Commons press conference on Tuesday.

“The students are now confused, stuck, and have lost hope.”

The remaining visa interviews are scheduled for this week, said Blondeau.

PSSAR has been calling on the government to issue a waiver on the regular collection of biometric data, like photos and fingerprints, for students stuck in Gaza because that process cannot be completed due to the war.

Blondeau said unlike people in Ukraine, people in Gaza can’t simply cross a land border and Canada cannot control the barriers to their movement.

During a House of Commons committee meeting on May 28, NDP MP Jenny Kwan asked Diab if Canada would make special exemptions for these students, as some European countries have done.

Diab responded by saying department officials have been told to speed up visa processing for people in Gaza, but her answer was cut short by tight time limits in that period of debate.

Diab’s full answer was not captured in the House of Commons transcript but she can be heard in video of the debate saying, ” … will be completed within the next 10 days.” The full response is not audible.

The Canadian Press asked for clarification of Diab’s comments Friday but did not receive a response until Monday night. That response discussed the interviews taking place with Palestinian students outside Gaza but did not set a firm deadline for completing the process.

Kwan said in an emailed statement that the government’s clarification differs from what Diab said in the House last week. She said she heard Diab say all visas would be processed, not just applications for those outside of Gaza.

“Canadians deserve to know what’s going on. Was the minister lying when she addressed Parliament, or is she so inept that she has no clue what’s going on with files under her responsibility?” Kwan said. “Either explanation is deeply troubling. It is by now clear that the minister is not fit to be in cabinet.”

She added that if countries like France, Ireland and Belgium can work to admit Palestinian students, Canada should be able to do the same.

Reports in French media show the government there temporarily suspended its program admitting Palestinian students following the deportation of one Palestinian student who was accused of sharing antisemitic statements online.

Critics decried that move as a form of collective punishment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press