In a media advisory issued through the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery on 25 September, the Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk Network, joined by Jewish-Canadian academics and human-rights advocates, called on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab to resolve study-permit delays affecting more than 130 Palestinian graduate students accepted to Canadian universities. According to the coalition, many applicants have waited over a year for decisions despite meeting Student Direct Stream financial thresholds and holding unconditional offers. Delays have forced several universities to defer admissions and offer remote learning, undermining research projects funded by tri-council grants. IRCC introduced special measures for Palestinians earlier this year, including fee-exempt study-permit extensions for those already in Canada, but stakeholders say overseas processing remains bottlenecked by security-screening backlogs. They are urging Ottawa to assign dedicated officers and adopt the accelerated Gaza-student protocol used in 2024. Universities risk losing top talent to the U.S. and EU if approvals are not issued before winter term. International-student recruiters are advised to monitor the situation and offer flexible start dates or pathway programs to retain accepted candidates.
