Palestinian student visa refusals to Ireland rise 418% this year

Taoiseach Micheál Martin speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly at the UN Headquarters on September 24, 2026 in New York City. Picture: Ryan Murphy/Getty Images

A week after Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the UN that the “true horrors” in Gaza would shame the world, the Government has been accused of hypocrisy after official figures showed a 418% increase in refusals of Irish study visas for Palestinian students this year.

Department of Justice figures obtained by the Irish Examiner show that in 2025, Ireland refused 22 of 164 long-stay study visa applications from Palestine, a refusal rate of 13%.

This year, it has refused 114 of 138 applications, representing a refusal rate of 83%.

A Type D long-stay study visa is required for non-European Economic Area (EEA) and non-Swiss nationals who study in Ireland for more than 90 days.

Up to September 25 this year, the Department of Justice had received 138 long-stay study visa applications from Palestinian nationals, of which it refused 114. That compares with 22 refusals out of 164 applications in 2025.

Most of the students had been granted fully funded scholarships at Irish third-level institutions and were due to begin their courses in September. Many of those refused visas have lodged appeals, while four judicial review applications are currently before the High Court.

Reasons given for refusals

A common reason for refusal is that applicants – who are living in an area affected by three years of bombardment – had not supplied sufficient documentation of previous education or work qualifications.

The department did not respond when asked to confirm whether it had this year taken over the decision-making process from the Irish embassy in Tel Aviv, where such applications had previously been processed.

Last week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the UN General Assembly that “when the true horrors” of what has happened in Gaza “are finally and fully revealed, it will shame the world”.

“Nobody will be able to say that we did not know,” he said. “Let it not be said that we did not act.” 

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said Mr Martin’s “very welcome” words were contradicted by decisions made by justice minister Jim O’Callaghan.

“We’re seeing a gear-change of approach by the Department of Justice, one with devastating consequences for students from Gaza,” Ms Bacik said.

“It does appear to be symptomatic of a new rightward turn in the Department of Justice under Jim O’Callaghan, where we’ve seen performative deportations and a hardening of approach on migration.

“The Department of Further and Higher Education has encouraged universities to offer scholarships, and then the Department of Justice has been refusing far more visas for scholarship students than had been anticipated.

“There is a hypocrisy there,” she said.

Department denies policy change

A Department of Justice spokesperson said there had been no policy change in relation to visa applications from Palestinian nationals, with visa decisions based on the facts of each case.

The Taoiseach and justice minister were asked for comment.