Gaza students take Ireland to court over visa refusals

When Hazem Faris, 19, received a full scholarship to study Computer Science at Ireland’s South East Technological University, it felt like he had the opportunity to “achieve a dream”, he said. Faris lives in Gaza, and since 2023 he and his family have been forced to evacuate their homes eight times. However, when the Irish government denied Faris’s visa, his dreams became impossible. Faris is one of the at least 103 Palestinian students who have had their visas rejected in Ireland this year, with visa approval rates dropping from 83.8 percent in 2025 to just 27.5 percent this year. Last week, a team of lawyers challenged Minister of Justice Jim O’Callaghan’s refusal, asking him to reverse the decision.