Introduction
Kwan: All righty, good morning everyone. My name is Jenny Kwan. I’m the Member of Parliament for Vancouver East and the NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship and Public Safety, amongst other things. I’m going to be introducing our guests that are here today.
First we have Avi Lewis, the leader of the NDP. We have Basanthi Venkatesh, Associate Professor at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. Nadia Abouzara from the University of Ottawa. Daniel Kamish from Oxfam Canada. And last but not least, on Zoom, we have a student — a Palestinian student, Alaa — who will be joining us. And Alaa, of course, I should also note, was a student who came to Canada specializing and doing research on AI, and he is unfortunately not here in Canada at the moment.
So with that, I’m going to ask our first speaker, Avi Lewis, to come to the podium.
Avi Lewis
Lewis: Thank you, Jenny. Good morning, everyone.
I’m honoured and pleased to be here this morning to speak on this vital issue of importance to all Canadians.
In just a few short months in these past years, 90,000 Palestinian students watched their education collapse as Israeli bombs destroyed all 12 universities in the Gaza Strip. It was a targeted attack on the future of the Palestinian people — a crime against knowledge, against education, against humanity.
Showing incredible determination and resilience, more than 130 postgraduate students from Gaza wrote applications to Canadian universities — some of them on the move, displaced from their homes, struggling with internet access in bombed-out neighbourhoods surrounded by war and starvation.
After Israel destroyed those universities, almost 100,000 Palestinian students lost their right to education. And now more than 130 have applied and been accepted at Canadian universities.
[En français]
Nous avons assisté à l’éradication presque complète du système éducatif à Gaza quand Israël a bombardé 12 universités. Privés d’accès à l’éducation, 130 étudiants ont soumis des demandes à des universités au Canada et ont été acceptés. Ces étudiants font preuve d’un courage immense face à la guerre, au génocide et à la destruction de leur communauté. Pourtant, aucun d’entre eux n’a été en mesure de venir au Canada.
[In English]
These are remarkable students, at the top tier of their universities. They’ve received admission offers and scholarships to further their study in Canada at 26 different Canadian universities. But they have not been granted entry to Canada to pursue their studies. Many have already lost their offers or their funding and research opportunities. They remain in limbo despite having everything in place to begin their studies.
Worse still, two have been killed and at least four injured while they wait for their applications to be processed.
This is shameful. The Liberal government knows full well that there are no functioning processing centres in Gaza for fingerprints, photos, and biometric identification like retinal scans. Despite that, these talented students have been stuck in processing hell for close to two years without any light at the end of the tunnel.
What’s even more disturbing is the fact that even those with completed biometrics are unable to get their study visas processed. Instead of working to resolve these issues, the Liberal government is actually imposing additional security screening requirements, even for students with everything else complete.
There are some 27 students who have made their way out of Gaza to Egypt, and two still in Gaza — all of whom have completed their biometrics — and still they’ve been stuck in limbo for close to two years with no update on their applications.
The government says there’s nothing it can do, but that is not the case. Countries like the UK, France, Italy, and Ireland have all provided pathways for students in Gaza to come and study at their universities.
[En français]
En 2015, le gouvernement a accéléré le traitement des demandes pour les étudiants réfugiés de Syrie. Nous l’avons aussi fait pour les étudiants d’Afghanistan, puis plus récemment pour l’Ukraine. Il n’y a aucune raison pour laquelle les étudiants de Gaza ne devraient pas bénéficier des mêmes mesures.
[In English]
In fact, 16 students were evacuated from Gaza to Europe in 2025, with study permits issued within two weeks of receiving their admission letters. Those students are now furthering their education and making contributions to those countries.
And in truth, Canada has solved this problem before. During humanitarian crises and invasion and war in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Syria, the federal government implemented flexible policies — including exemptions, deferrals, and third-country processing.
So the question is not whether solutions exist. It’s whether this government has the political will to do the right thing.
What the NDP is calling for is straightforward and achievable. First, allow biometric scans like fingerprints and retina scans to be completed in Canada. Second, provide temporary exemptions or deferrals. And third, create remote or alternative processing options.
These are secure and humane alternatives that are both feasible and already in use around the world — alternatives that ensure fair, timely decisions for qualified applicants who have already been accepted to Canadian universities.
This is about justice, equitable treatment, and fundamental human rights. We’re calling on the Carney government to treat these students with flexibility when it comes to visa requirements — to treat these students as we have students fleeing violence in other countries.
[En français]
Le gouvernement libéral de Carney doit faire un choix moral. Face à un génocide et des crimes contre l’humanité, le Canada peut faire preuve de leadership international en traitant ces étudiants de la même manière que celles et ceux venant d’autres zones de conflit.
[In English]
It’s time for our federal government to do the right thing and give these brilliant scholars a chance to study in Canada. These students are not asking for special treatment. They’re asking for basic fairness and a modicum of compassion — after all they have witnessed, after all they have lost, all they have done to build a life out of the chaos and rubble. They’re asking to be treated as human beings who have the right to live, study, and flourish.
Canada is a country that should give everybody that chance. Thank you.
Basanthi Venkatesh
Kwan: Thank you very much for those words. Next, we’ll have Vasanti.
Venkatesh: Good morning, everyone.
FASAR — Palestine Students and Scholars at Risk — was formed to support Gazan postgraduate students in accessing education in the midst of ongoing mass displacement, genocide, and destruction of all the universities.
As highly accomplished students from Palestine have been admitted into prestigious programs in Canada, they’re now in administrative limbo within the immigration study permit program. No response for months on end, no updates, as they apply for deferral after deferral in our universities waiting for Canadian immigration to respond.
For example, Alaa — from whom we’ll hear soon — has previously been approved for a visa and was in Canada in 2023 working on a research program. He’s currently in Egypt. He has been admitted to a PhD program in electrical and computer engineering in Montreal, and he’s been waiting for 23 months for a decision on his application.
The ministry claims that the reason for this delay is the inability to perform biometrics, which in and of itself is not a sufficient excuse — because alternative arrangements can be made and have been made in the past for security clearance. But we see that it is a pretext, because there are currently about 30 students in Egypt who have done their biometrics and who are still waiting with no updates from IRCC.
This processing delay is an abuse of process. It’s a breach of basic procedural fairness. The courts have clearly stated that there is no excuse — let alone a specious excuse like this — for indeterminately delaying processing.
The students, through resilience and fortitude, are pursuing mandamus applications in courts to compel IRCC to decide on their cases. These students have been significantly prejudiced in the midst of destruction and death and displacement. They have also lost offers in the universities, even as universities struggle to give them deferral after deferral in the midst of a financial crisis.
There are around 50 students currently on the verge of losing their offers if they’re not able to come to join their programs during this academic year.
It also marks systemic bias and discrimination on the part of the government. Applicants from one country, from one region, are treated significantly differently from others — even those who have been in crisis situations. This is a form of collective punishment and a presumption of guilt, which since World War II, Canada has claimed that it does not engage in. It’s also a breach of Canada’s international law obligations, as per the ICJ and as per United Nations resolutions.
However, the government cannot state this bias openly. Instead, they leave these applicants in bureaucratic purgatory, subjecting them to administrative violence. This, too, is an abuse of process and a breach of procedural fairness.
Lastly, Canada markets itself internationally as a country that respects the rule of law, equality and inclusivity, and as a country for global talent to excel. But the Gazan student crisis has shown that this is patently false. It is not designed to support the most qualified applicants, or even those to whom Canada has basic obligations of decency and international law. Rather, it is designed to deter and drive away extraordinary students to other countries like the United Kingdom, Belgium and Ireland.
This is not only an indictment of our entire legal system, but it’s an indictment of our academic system. Like several others, my research projects have been held in abeyance as I wait for this uniquely qualified student to join me from Gaza in pursuing this research.
This loss — caused by this illiberal and racist policy of administrative cruelty, because that’s what this is — is Canada’s loss, not just in material ways, but in reputational ways. This loss is being incurred by our universities and the entire academic community. Thank you.
Nadia Abouzara
Kwan: Thank you very much. Next, we have Nadia.
Abouzara: These students did not want to go to court. Legal action is a last resort after nearly two years of delay and unanswered requests.
Students are navigating war, displacement and uncertainty. Yet they are being asked to meet requirements that are impossible to fulfil in an active conflict zone. Many cannot safely access biometric collection centres due to ongoing violence and movement restrictions. Others have already fled Gaza but remain stuck in third countries with completed applications and no decisions for nearly two years.
As months have passed without progress, students have begun losing admissions, scholarships, housing arrangements and research placements. Students are now forced to incur legal costs and additional emotional strain simply to obtain a decision on their applications.
Canada has practical options available today. Canada can grant biometric exemptions, or defer biometrics until safe arrival in Canada or a third country. Another option: Canada can authorize mobile or partner-based biometric collection. And a third option: Canada can coordinate evacuation and processing through trusted international partners. Organizations like the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration have experience supporting secure processing and relocation in crisis contexts.
But instead of using available tools, the government has effectively closed pathways, leaving students feeling abandoned. Canada has demonstrated flexibility in past crises by adapting processes quickly to respond to humanitarian needs. This situation is solvable. What is missing is the decision to act.
We are here today to stand with these students and call for reasonable, lawful solutions that reflect Canadian values of fairness and compassion. Thank you.
Daniel Kamish
Kwan: Thank you very much. Next, we have Daniel.
Kamish: Mira is a monitoring, evaluation, and learning specialist at Oxfam, working in Palestine — specifically in Gaza. She’s an engineer. Mira has been living in a tent for more than two years under bombs, occupation, famine, and genocide. She’s been displaced more than a dozen times. She continues to work day after day because of a commitment to humanitarianism.
Two years ago, Mira was accepted at the University of Regina with a significant NSERC federally funded scholarship to do her master’s in engineering. In two years, her application for a student visa hasn’t moved. She’s deferred her acceptance twice. It’s likely that there won’t be an opportunity to defer that acceptance a third time.
Today’s legal action reflects a breakdown of trust. When policies are applied inconsistently, it creates a perception of unequal treatment. Palestinian students have not been included in similar pathways and programs available to others facing the same conditions of war and displacement.
In the same vein, IRCC’s new 14-day processing program for PhD candidates reflects our government’s commitment to ensuring that top talent is able to come to Canada to contribute to the academy and to the economy. It would be good policy if it wasn’t discriminatory. Palestinian applicants are excluded. Never mind 14 days — they’ve been waiting for two years.
We must reject the double standard and policy exclusion against Palestinian applicants. Anyone who is admitted to a Canadian university and applies for a study permit should be considered based on merit, not where they come from. To say all are welcome but not Palestinians is something we should hold our leaders accountable for.
With every possible solution being refused, Canada has left these students no choice but to pursue legal avenues to obtain a response to their applications.
These students are highly qualified researchers in fields like AI, medicine, law, and engineering — like my colleague Mira. Canadian universities and research institutions have already selected these candidates based on merit. Over 900 academics and more than 16,000 Canadians to date have called for action.
Canada has the policy tools required to resolve these delays quickly and fairly. Here’s what we’re asking for: flexibility in the collection of biometrics; prioritized processing for complete applications; coordinated reviews across government, including IRCC, Public Safety and Global Affairs; and transparent timelines and communication with applicants.
Consistency in humanitarian response strengthens Canada’s global credibility and reinforces commitments to equality and human rights. Addressing these delays is not only about supporting students — it is about ensuring Canada’s policies reflect its stated values.
I talked to Mira last week. She shared a couple of words with me that I’ll share with you on her behalf:
“Despite the hardships of living in Gaza alone, I never felt weak but motivated to provide more through my work at Oxfam. Now, as the war is almost over, I hope to equip myself with advanced skills so that I can return to the Gaza Strip with better knowledge to contribute to the efforts aimed at rebuilding our devastated infrastructure and fragile economy.”
Alaa
Kwan: Thank you very much, Daniel. Last but not least, on Zoom, we have a student — a Palestinian student. He’s stuck in Egypt. Alaa, over to you.
Alaa: Hello. Hello, everyone. Good morning.
My name is Alaa. I am a doctoral student from Gaza, admitted to a PhD in electrical engineering at ETS Montréal University. My academic journey reflected years of determination, resilience, and belief in the power of knowledge. I have contributed to 40 research publications in top-tier journals with hundreds of citations around the world. And my goal is to advance next-generation communication and AI technology through my doctoral studies.
I am deeply grateful to Canada and to ETS Montréal University for giving me this opportunity. To me, Canada represents fairness, dignity and respect of knowledge. That is why I chose to pursue my PhD here.
In 2019, I came to Canada for research and my previous visa expired in 2023. I respected all the rules and when my work was finished, I left as required. I want to be very clear: I will do the same after my PhD. I am coming to study and to contribute and to return.
That experience stayed with me. I felt welcomed in Canada, respected and inspired. It made me believe that Canada is a place where people are judged by their knowledge, their work and their potential.
With my current supervisors at ETS Montréal University, I worked tirelessly to develop a strong research proposal that helped me obtain a prestigious FRQ scholarship, based on my work and my potential to contribute.
But today, I stand here in Egypt, for more than 23 months, facing a very different and difficult reality. The war in Gaza has been devastating. Like many others, I went through extremely difficult and painful circumstances. I was fortunate to reach safety, but I am still unable to move forward with my life.
My biometrics were already on file from my previous visit in 2019. I have now been waiting for nearly 23 months without answer, without clarity, while my future remains on hold.
I want to continue my life. I want to continue my studies as a doctoral student. I want to contribute through my knowledge, but I cannot move forward without a decision.
In November 2025, IRCC announced that it aims to process doctoral study permit applications within just two weeks. When I heard that, I felt hope and I was happy. But today, after nearly two years, I am still waiting. As a doctoral student, I am shocked, I am disappointed, and I am asking: why does this not apply to me?
I am not asking for special treatment. I am just asking for fairness. I am asking for consistency. I am asking for a decision.
Today, I am calling directly on the Prime Minister of Canada to take action. I am asking for leadership, for intervention, and for a clear path forward for doctoral students like me.
Countries like the United Kingdom have taken steps to support students in difficult situations. Canada can do the same. Canada should do the same.
I need answers. I need clarity. I need to know if Canada still stands for the values that inspired me to choose it.
Taking legal action was not my first choice, but after nearly two years of silence, I had no other option. Despite everything, I still believe in Canada. I believe in its values, and I believe it will do the right thing for me and for other highly qualified students.
All I am asking is simple. Make a decision. Let me move forward. Let me begin my future.
Thank you to everybody.
Media Q&A
Kwan: Thank you very much. And those are all our speakers. I just want to thank the panel of speakers for speaking truth to power, for standing up for fairness and for justice. With that, we’re open for questions from the media.
Reporter: This has been an issue for more than two years now. You’ve been calling for flexibility for a while. What is it — why is it that they can’t give that flexibility? What do they say in response?
Kwan: Well, I’ll simply say that the Liberal government — the Carney administration — is refusing to act because there is a lack of political will. They are, from my perspective, applying unequal standards for these students. And frankly, the way in which they’re proceeding is discriminatory. They are advancing initiatives and processes for these students that are different from anyone else.
As we know, the government has already talked about their 14-day application processing for PhD students. But that does not apply here. We have situations where even when they say biometrics is the issue, there are students whose biometrics have been completed, yet they still refuse to complete the processing of those visa applications. Why is that? There is no justification for it.
We have a student — Alaa — who’s come to Canada before, whose biometrics have gone through before, who left Canada without incident, and who wants to return and to support our Canadian academic institutions in their research, and yet his application is not getting processed. Almost two years they’ve waited. What is the justification? Frankly, there is none.
I will also say this: the international community has gone forward with workarounds, with different approaches to address the issue of biometrics, if that is the problem. How is it possible that the UK can process an application within two weeks of getting offers from university, and Canada, after two years, still cannot finish the processing? There is no justification.
Venkatesh: I could just add on the biometrics piece — we understand that flexibility will require a cabinet decision. So cabinet ministers, if you want to advance some flexibility on the biometrics piece, that’s up to you.
It’s not only the biometrics. We understand that these students are undergoing an extra layer of security screening. That’s a black hole. That’s at Public Safety. We can’t get any information on what that looks like. Other students are not going through that added layer of security screening at Public Safety. So when we’re calling for transparency on these applications, that’s a part of it as well — what’s going on at Public Safety, what is this additional security screening, and why is it taking two years?
Kwan: I’m just going to add one other point. IRPA — the immigration regulation that governs a lot of these processes — specifically indicates that where biometrics cannot be attained, the government can apply alternative measures. And that’s the issue. We have seen alternative measures put in place before in other conflicts. So why will the government not apply those different measures here? It is the lack of political will, and frankly, mistreatment and unfair treatment for these students.
Venkatesh: I just want to say one point: this discourse on biometrics is a distraction. Because if it was about biometrics, then what about all the students who have managed to escape to Cairo or even to Jordan? What we see is that we have to call it for what it is: systemic anti-Palestinian racism. That is what this embodies. The law says that security interests must be grounded in evidence of imminent threat — there must be evidence that there’s a serious risk to Canadians. In this case, these students have got no updates, no correspondence. So what they have is basically bureaucratic purgatory. And if anything, this is what we can call within the legal system “willful incompetence.”
Reporter: Yesterday we had a minority government, today we have a majority government. Are you worried that that will reduce the will to be cooperative on things like this if it’s not on the government’s agenda? They no longer need to rely on goodwill between other parties. Is there any concern?
Kwan: Well, with the by-election being completed, I would say this: this should not be a partisan issue. It should not be an issue about whether or not the NDP wants to see this done. This should be done because it is good for Canada, because it is fair, it is just. That’s why it should be done.
I would hope that those who are coming to the House of Commons as members of parliament after the by-election will stand up for justice, will stand up and speak truth to power. I challenge them to do exactly that within the Liberal government — join the professors, join the academic community, join the humanitarian communities, those who are fighting for humanitarianism for the globe. This is about a fight for knowledge and for our future. So I would say to those that are entering into the Liberal caucus: there is a reason why we enter into politics. And it is to fight for people, to fight for justice, to stand up for what is right and for basic human rights. I challenge anyone within the Liberal Party to do just that.
Kwan: Thank you. That’s all the time we have for this press conference. Merci.