Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has agreed to special arrangements allowing a group of students in Gaza, awarded fully-funded scholarships at British universities, to complete their biometric checks in a third country before travelling to the UK this September.
The decision follows mounting political pressure after more than 70 Labour MPs signed a letter urging the government to provide urgent support for the students. Visa applicants are normally required to submit fingerprints and a facial photograph at an approved centre. However, the last authorised biometric centre in Gaza was closed in October 2023 following the Hamas attack and the subsequent conflict, leaving students unable to complete the process locally.
Several Labour MPs, including Abtisam Mohamed and Barry Gardiner, had called on the Home Secretary to defer biometric requirements, warning that delays risked preventing students from taking up their places. Some Chevening scholars from Gaza have already been assured that they will be supported to travel abroad for biometric checks before beginning their studies in the UK within weeks.
The MPs’ letter urged the government to defer biometric data screening for student visa applicants in Gaza and to establish safe passage routes, noting that several European countries had already taken proactive steps to evacuate scholarship students.
While the Home Office has pledged to make arrangements, the Israeli government must still approve individual exit permits for students to leave Gaza.
A Home Office source acknowledged the challenges, stating that the Home Secretary had instructed officials to exhaust all possible options to ensure the students could begin their courses in Britain on time.
Welcoming the decision, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said the move could transform lives, noting that British universities, including the University of Edinburgh, would give students the chance to rebuild their communities through education.
