The home secretary has approved special arrangements for students in Gaza who have been offered fully-funded scholarships at UK universities.
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Yvette Cooper will allow a cohort of students to have their biometric checks carried out in a third country before they travel to the UK to take up their university places in September.
It comes after Sky News reported that more than 70 Labour MPs had signed a letter asking the government to delay biometric checks for the students.
In order to obtain a UK visa, applicants must provide a photo of their face, as well as their fingerprints. The Home Office guidance says these data points “play a significant role in delivering security and facilitation in the border and immigration system”.
Earlier this month, Labour MPs Abtisam Mohamed and Barry Gardiner asked Ms Cooper to defer the requirement so the students can take up their university places in September.
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A number of Chevening scholar students in Gaza have already been informed that they will be supported to travel to a third country to give their biometrics before coming to the UK to start their studies in the coming weeks.
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The UK did have an authorised centre in Gaza that was able to process biometric data, but it was closed in October 2023 after the Hamas attack, and as Israel’s war in response to the atrocity got under way, according to The Guardian.
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As a result, the letter by the Labour MPs called on the government to “defer biometric data screening for student visa applicants based in Gaza and open a safe passage to enable these young people to fulfil their academic dreams”, pointing out that other countries in Europe “have taken proactive steps to ensure safe evacuation routes for students bound for their countries”.
However, even with these assurances from the UK, the Israeli government still needs to agree that each individual student can leave Gaza.
A Home Office source said: “This remains a complex and challenging task, but the home secretary has made it crystal clear to her officials that she wants no stone unturned in efforts to ensure there are arrangements in place to allow this cohort of talented students to take up their places at UK universities as soon as possible.”
Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine posted on X: “I could’ve cried this morning at the news that the Foreign Office is allowing 50 students from Gaza to come to UK. Our universities – including Edinburgh – offers them the opportunity to change their lives and help rebuild their communities.”
