With two of their peers killed last year, more than 70 Palestinian students are raising the alarm over stalled immigration to Canada despite admissions and scholarships at universities across the country, stranding them in Gaza or nearby Egypt and Jordan as they wait out a war.

"The situation in Gaza is getting hard day by day, they are targeting many crowded and random places," said Meera, an industrial engineering student who has been accepted to the University of Regina on scholarships to pursue a master's degree, but is stuck waiting in Gaza City, where she's unable to submit a completed visa application to the federal Immigration Department. 

"Like so many other students, I become trapped with my dreams," she told CBC News in an interview. 

CBC News is only using her first name due to concerns for her safety. CBC has seen her acceptance letter from the University of Regina, as well as paperwork showing she has started an immigration file with the Canadian government. 

In December 2024, twin sisters Sally and Dalia Ghazi were killed after being accepted into a PhD program at the University of Waterloo in southern Ontario, in what the school described as an Israeli airstrike.

"They didn't even start their dreams," said Meera, who knew the sisters. 

"They were very excellent girls who were always asking new opportunities and new chance to know more information about opportunities in Canada," she said. 

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The University of Waterloo in Ontario has announced twin sisters who were set to enter a PhD program were killed this month in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war. The 26-year-olds were accepted to the school's Global Student Relief Initiative, which supports students from conflict zones. CBC K-W's Karis Mapp visited the university to speak with individuals involved with the fellowship program and get reaction to the news.

Like dozens of other students, Meera has tried getting through to Canada with the help of a Canadian non-profit called Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk. (PSSAR). According to PSSAR, there are more than 70 students who are stuck in Gaza waiting to get here. 

The federal government maintains the primary issue for Palestinians trying to leave Gaza and enter Canada is obtaining security clearance by providing photos and fingerprints, known as biometrics. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) cannot administer these tests on the ground since it has no presence in the war zone. 

"Movement out of Gaza remains extremely challenging and may not be possible at this time, as countries and other actors set their own entry and exit requirements," IRCC said in a statement.

Professors find government explanation thin

IRCC's explanation did not satisfy Aaron Shafer, a professor in Forensic Science at Trent University in Peterborough, who is working with the PSSAR to bring over another Palestinian student waiting in Gaza. 

"We know that other countries have managed to do this. France, for example, has managed to facilitate safe passage for students," he said. "I would call on and ask the Canadian government to try to facilitate something similar."

In January 2025, French media reported some 32 students had managed to get to France to pursue studies over the course of the previous year, including at least one directly from Gaza. 

Shafer also says about a third of the students PSSAR is attempting to help have already left Gaza and are waiting in Egypt or Jordan, where the Canadian government still has yet to process their paperwork. 

"They could be in their lab tomorrow at the University of British Columbia or the University of Toronto, if the Canadian government would process their visas," he said. 

Alaa, one student CBC News spoke to in Cairo, Egypt, said he submitted his immigration paperwork in May 2024. He's been waiting for approval since then. 

Accepted into a PhD program in Montreal, Alaa says he has not received any update from IRCC.

CBC News has also seen his documentation and is agreeing not to use his fill name in concern for his safety. 

Alaa says he lives alone, separated from his wife and four children who remain in Gaza, and is barely able to speak to them. 

He completed previous degrees in Gaza, but says his university, like all others in the territory, has been levelled in the war between Israel and Hamas that has been raging since October 2023. 

"That's a reason also that's made me take a decision to travel to Canada to complete my PhD, to return to Gaza, to enrich and contribute to rebuild our academic establishment." 

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Clock ticking on admissions

Another obstacle the students are facing is expiry dates on admissions or scholarships. 

Meera told CBC News she has already twice deferred starting at the University of Regina, and is concerned about having to do that a third time.

The admission letter CBC News saw for Alaa said his offer is valid only if "it is followed by a course registration in the Fall 2025 semester." 

Asked about delays for students who have already gotten out of Gaza and are waiting for visas elsewhere, IRCC said "each application is different, and as a result, the time it takes to process may vary. Processing times can vary based on a variety of factors, such as whether an application is complete, if IRCC has to wait for additional information, how easily IRCC can verify the information provided, and the complexity of an application." 

IRCC also did not directly answer a question about whether it is in touch with France or other allied countries about best practices to assist students leaving Gaza.

"We can't comment on other countries' bilateral discussions with foreign governments," it said.