{"id":157469,"date":"2025-11-01T17:55:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T17:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/157469\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T17:55:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T17:55:12","slug":"gazan-doctor-fears-she-will-lose-place-on-ucc-course-after-visa-application-rejected-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/157469\/","title":{"rendered":"Gazan doctor fears she will lose place on UCC course after visa application rejected \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A doctor from Gaza<\/a> fears she will lose her place on a Master\u2019s course at University College Cork<\/a> because she cannot secure a visa to come to Ireland.<\/p>\n

Baraa Mansour was evacuated from Gaza<\/a> in May 2024 so she could complete her medical studies. She has been in Cairo in Egypt<\/a> since then.<\/p>\n

Ms Mansour (25) initially applied for a short-term study visa, which would have allowed her to stay in Ireland for three months, in March. This application was rejected in April. <\/p>\n

She appealed this decision via Khurshid and Co solicitors, a legal firm based in Dublin. Her appeal was rejected in August. <\/p>\n

In a detailed letter, the department outlined several reasons for refusing the visa. It set out concerns relating to an existing personal relationship Ms Mansour had in Ireland and \u201cgrave concerns\u201d she may seek to overstay a visa and remain in the country without permission.<\/p>\n

Later that month, she was offered a place on the Master of Public Health programme at UCC. She then reapplied for a long-term study visa and is awaiting a decision.<\/p>\n

\"AA spokesman for UCC said the university ‘offers Sanctuary Scholarships to adult learners seeking international protection, including those with refugee or asylum status’. <\/p>\n

Ms Mansour said UCC \u201ckindly\u201d allowed her to delay her arrival to date, but she fears she will lose her place if the visa is not granted imminently. <\/p>\n

A number of doctors based in Ireland have supported her application, including one who has paid around \u20ac9,000 in tuition fees and another who has offered her accommodation. The tuition fees will be refunded if Ms Mansour is not granted a visa and cannot come to Ireland.<\/p>\n

Ms Mansour, who was studying to be a doctor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza when the war broke out, said it was \u201cvery, very difficult\u201d to leave Gaza while her parents and other loved ones stayed. <\/p>\n

She was among a group of medical students sent from Gaza to Egypt to complete their training. She is now fully qualified. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was forced to do that to continue and pursue my academic degree,\u201d Ms Mansour said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know you left your country and your family … they face death, but you just save yourself and your dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the war, I dreamed about going to Ireland or England to get a master\u2019s degree and then a PhD degree, and then come back to my home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Mansour said her ultimate goal is to return to Gaza but, for obvious reasons, it is not currently safe to do so. <\/p>\n

She is aware of at least two other Gazans living in Cairo who have been offered places on master\u2019s degree courses in Ireland but are also struggling to secure visas.<\/p>\n

Ms Mansour described the refusal of her visa as \u201cdevastating\u201d and hopes a resolution can be found. <\/p>\n

In a letter dated August 12th, an official in the Visa Appeals Unit of the Department of Justice outlined why Ms Mansour\u2019s visa was rejected. <\/p>\n

The official said the applicant failed to supply all the relevant or complete documents, as well as details of an existing relationship in Ireland, and had not provided adequate evidence she would return to her country of residence after the visa expired.<\/p>\n

The visa appeals officer told her they were concerned she might \u201cseek to overstay any visa which may be granted to you and seek to remain in this country without permission\u201d. As such, the officer said this might result in \u201ca cost to public funds\u201d.<\/p>\n

In documents lodged as part of Ms Mansour\u2019s appeal, Khursid and Co solicitors argued that \u2013 as their client is displaced due to the war in Gaza and temporarily living in Egypt \u2013 it is \u201cdifficult for her to follow and furnish all the necessary and relevant documentation\u201d. <\/p>\n

They added that \u201cshe has provided the maximum documents to prove her case\u201d. <\/p>\n

\"AA spokesman said the Department of Justice cannot comment on individual cases. Photograph: iStock <\/p>\n

Her solicitors argued that she would not overstay her visa in Ireland, if granted one, stating: \u201cShe spent many years studying to become a doctor, and we believe she cannot afford to overstay in Ireland and risk her medical degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Mansour\u2019s parents are originally from northern Gaza but were forced to move to the south of the Palestinian enclave.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are in a partially destroyed house, and they struggle with everything,\u201d Ms Mansour said, noting they both have medical conditions.<\/p>\n

She said her grandmother was killed in the war and her uncle, a surgeon, was kidnapped by Israeli forces last year while working at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. The family have not heard from him since. <\/p>\n

The Irish Times has spoken to the consultant who paid Ms Mansour\u2019s tuition fees. The doctor, who did not wish to be named, said Ms Mansour \u201cwill not be a burden on the State\u201d.<\/p>\n

The clinician and some of her colleagues have pledged more financial support and offered Ms Mansour accommodation while she lives in Ireland. Ms Mansour also has her own savings.<\/p>\n

The consultant said she believes there had been \u201ca breakdown of communication somewhere\u201d as Ms Mansour has provided as many documents as possible.<\/p>\n

She said, given the \u201cdevastating situation\u201d in Gaza, Irish authorities should support more doctors from the region coming to the country to further their education or work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are highly skilled individuals,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

A spokesman for UCC said the university \u201coffers Sanctuary Scholarships to adult learners seeking international protection, including those with refugee or asylum status\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll offers to students are conditional on visa acceptance, a process outside the university\u2019s control.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesman said the Department of Justice cannot comment on individual cases. <\/p>\n

A statement noted: \u201cIn common with the position for all non-EU nationals, entry of Palestinian nationals is undertaken through the existing legal immigration pathways. It is possible to apply for a visa and for permission to remain in Ireland based on a variety of different reasons, including employment, education or a family relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the Government has approved a medical evacuation programme for up to 30 sick children from Gaza for treatment and care, following an appeal from the World Health Organisation, more general special arrangements for Palestine nationals are not in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement added that acceptance on a course of study alone is \u201cnot sufficient to be granted a study visa for Ireland\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cApplicants must also meet set criteria including that they have sufficient finances to reside in Ireland, that their course is appropriate for their career and academic ability and that they obey the conditions of their visa in full.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A doctor from Gaza fears she will lose her place on a Master\u2019s course at University College Cork…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":157470,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[9,10,13169,52,372,18,13,14,3761,6,19,17,3857,11,12,15,16,5,72,7,8,3274],"class_list":{"0":"post-157469","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-department-of-justice","11":"tag-dublin","12":"tag-egypt","13":"tag-eire","14":"tag-featured-news","15":"tag-featurednews","16":"tag-gaza-strip","17":"tag-headlines","18":"tag-ie","19":"tag-ireland","20":"tag-israel-hamas-conflict","21":"tag-latest-news","22":"tag-latestnews","23":"tag-main-news","24":"tag-mainnews","25":"tag-news","26":"tag-palestine","27":"tag-top-stories","28":"tag-topstories","29":"tag-university-college-cork-ucc"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115475731361357660","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}