Ottawa rejected more Gaza student visa applications than it approved

CALGARY — The federal government has rejected far more student visa applications from Gaza than it has approved, despite calls from advocacy groups urging Ottawa to fast-track permits for students accepted by Canadian colleges and universities.Blacklock's Reporter reports the Department of Immigration approved just two of 37 study permit applications from Gazans accepted to Canadian post-secondary institutions, while rejecting 14. The remaining applications were still under review, including procedural fairness assessments, while four applicants withdrew from the process.The figures were disclosed in a June 17 departmental briefing note titled Canada's Response To The Situation In Gaza, which said all applicants undergo enhanced security screening before receiving approval."By using enhanced biographic information from applicants, Canada is able to conduct preliminary security screening while people are still in Gaza," the briefing note said. "Provided no inadmissibility concerns are flagged and where applicable, people who are able to exit Gaza will have their biometrics collected in a third country."The applications stemmed from a request by the Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk Network, which sought expedited processing for approximately 130 Gazan students who had already been accepted by Canadian universities and colleges.The study permit initiative was separate from Ottawa's temporary immigration program for Gazans with extended family members in Canada.That humanitarian pathway also fell well short of its target. Although the federal government set aside 5,000 spaces, the department said only about 1,000 people had arrived in Canada through the program as of March 31..Report claims dozens of workplace complaints tied to pro-Palestinian views among Muslims in Canada .The Liberal government introduced the temporary pathway in 2024, waiving normal immigration rules for eligible Gazans with family connections in Canada. At the time, federal officials said Canada was "the only country in the world" offering temporary residency under such a program.Those arriving under the special measures were eligible for tax-free grants of up to $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child, along with publicly funded health care, work permits, study permits and language training. Ottawa has not disclosed the total cost of the program.Despite those supports, the department's latest briefing note emphasized the program was never intended to provide permanent settlement in Canada."The temporary resident pathway is a time-limited humanitarian measure focused on temporary protection for extended family members," officials wrote. "It is not a refugee program and not intended to facilitate any large-scale exit of Palestinians from Gaza."The briefing note added it was expected that participants would leave Canada "once conditions allow."The language contrasts with comments made by then-Immigration Minister Marc Miller when the program was launched in 2024."We are all failing Gazans at this point," Miller said at the time. "I think that is something we need to realize, that they are under — it's probably the largest hostage taking right now in the world."

Ottawa rejected more Gaza student visa applications than it approved

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