Government allows dependants of Gazan postgraduate students to join them after policy reversal…reports Asian Lite News
The UK government has confirmed that partners and children of some Gazan PhD and master’s students will now be allowed to join them in Britain, marking a significant reversal of its earlier decision which limited evacuation support to the students alone.
Each application for family reunification will be reviewed on a “case-by-case basis,” a government spokesperson said, adding that dependants must meet specific requirements, including proof of sufficient funds to cover living costs.
Under the new provisions, visas will only be available to dependants of students on government-funded programmes such as Chevening scholarships or those pursuing PhDs and other research-based higher degrees.
The initial decision to exclude dependants had prompted widespread concern, with several students expressing their inability to take up scholarships in the UK if it meant leaving their families behind in war-torn Gaza.
Dependants seeking to join their relatives in Britain will be required to apply for a student dependant visa and provide evidence of adequate financial resources — up to £6,120 for those studying outside London, or £7,605 for those studying in the capital.
“Students coming from Gaza to the UK have suffered an appalling ordeal after two years of conflict,” a government spokesperson said. “They have endured unimaginable hardship but can now begin to rebuild their lives through studying in our world-class universities. That is why we are supporting the evacuation of dependants of students on scholarships who are eligible to study here under the immigration rules on a case-by-case basis.”
The change brings relief to Gazan scholars who had been facing painful choices between their academic ambitions and family responsibilities. Among them is Manar al-Houbi, who had earlier told the BBC it was “impossible” for her to leave her three young children and husband behind to take up her PhD place at the University of Glasgow.
Al-Houbi said she was “deeply relieved” by the new policy and hoped to be evacuated with her family “very soon”. “Academic women should never be deprived of their professional [opportunities] just because they have family responsibilities. I am very grateful to the UK government for making this wise and fair decision,” she said.
Since the UK began supporting evacuations for fully-funded Gazan students last month, at least 75 have arrived, including a third group of 17 students who landed on Monday. The arrivals mark the latest phase of the scheme coordinated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in partnership with universities and scholarship bodies.
However, not all students have been able to benefit in time. The BBC reported that six Gazan students due to start master’s programmes at the University of Glasgow will not be evacuated, as they would arrive too late to begin their courses this academic year.
Dr Nora Parr, a researcher at the University of Birmingham who has been helping to coordinate support for the group, welcomed the government’s reversal but voiced disappointment over those left behind.
“The existing government policy leaves both these students and their university in a cruel limbo,” she said. “I’m devastated that these six students have lost their hard-earned places.” The University of Glasgow declined to comment, though it is understood that it intends to honour the students’ places should they arrive in time for future enrolment periods. The government’s current evacuation support scheme runs until the end of the year, and there has been no indication of what arrangements might follow.
The broader humanitarian context remains grave. The war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. Since then, Israeli military operations have left more than 65,000 people dead, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Earlier this month, a US-brokered ceasefire brought temporary relief, under which Hamas returned all 20 living hostages to Israel. However, the fragile truce has come under renewed strain following fresh violence this week. Israeli forces launched air strikes in Gaza after an Israeli soldier was killed in what authorities described as a Hamas attack. Hamas has denied involvement, saying it had “no connection” to the incident in Rafah. Gaza’s health ministry reported that at least 104 Palestinians were killed in the subsequent Israeli strikes.
While the political situation remains volatile, the UK’s decision to extend evacuation and visa rights to dependants of Gazan scholars is being seen as a compassionate gesture towards families who have endured years of conflict and uncertainty. For many, it represents not only the chance to pursue education but to reunite and rebuild lives disrupted by war.
As one government official described, the change aims to balance compassion with immigration controls, ensuring that those eligible under the rules can access support. For students like Manar al-Houbi and others waiting anxiously in Gaza, it could mean the difference between an abandoned academic future and a new beginning.
