Why are Gazan students being denied study permits? Ottawa won't say
Internal immigration records show Ottawa rejected more study permit applications than it approved, even as it expanded special immigration programs for Palestinians.
Ottawa has rejected more study permit applications from Gaza than it has approved, according to an internal Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada briefing note, offering a rare glimpse into the security screening behind Canada’s expanding immigration programs for Palestinians.
“Fourteen applications have been refused while the remaining cases are in the final stages of assessment, including procedural fairness reviews where required,” said the Jun. 17 note, Canada’s Response To The Situation In Gaza. “Four applicants have chosen not to proceed with their application.”
The briefing note emphasized the pathway is temporary, not a refugee program, and said Palestinians are expected to leave Canada once conditions in Gaza permit, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
The position contrasts with comments from then-immigration minister Marc Miller, who launched the program in 2024, saying, “We are all failing Gazans at this point,” and describing Gaza as “probably the largest hostage taking right now in the world.”
