Palestinian students taking up scholarships at UK universities will be allowed to bring their families from Gaza with them after the government said it would consider case-by-case exemptions.
The students had previously been unable to take up their scholarships because they were barred from bringing their children or dependents by existing student visa policies.
But the UK government has now changed the rules, after lobbying by MPs and supporters, and said that partners and children can be allowed to accompany the students.
A government spokesperson said: “Students coming from Gaza to the UK have suffered an appalling ordeal after two years of conflict. 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 dependents of students on scholarships who are eligible to study here under the immigration rules on a case-by-case basis.”
Under immigration rules covering international students taking research degrees, those wanting to accompany or join their family are eligible for a student dependant visa, which requires proof of sufficient funding to cover living costs of about £7,600 a year for those studying in London and about £6,000 outside London.
Fighting continues in Gaza despite the ceasefire agreement, with Israel carrying out military strikes earlier this week that killed more than 100 people, including children, in the territory.
One 26-year-old student, who had been offered a funded place for a master’s degree in health at the University of Oxford, said he had refused to be evacuated from Gaza unless his wife and three-month-old daughter could accompany him.
“I couldn’t leave them behind in Gaza City, where life has become a daily nightmare. I was offered a lifeline, but what kind of life would it be if I escaped while they remained trapped in this horror? I held on to hope that if I waited, we might be allowed to leave together,” he said.
So far, about 75 students have arrived since the government began allowing evacuations from Gaza for those with full scholarships last month, including a group of 17 students who arrived earlier this week. The new exemption is expected to help the small number of eligible students remaining.
Earlier this month a cross-party group of more than 100 MPs wrote to the government, highlighting the students’ plight and urging the government to allow those with families including young children to be able to bring them.
In one case, a PhD student at the University of Glasgow was unable to bring her family despite her scholarship covering their full housing and living costs.
The Refugee Council and the University of Oxford were among those to have protested against the government’s decision to block the students from bringing their children.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “It is excessively harsh to tell students fleeing the appalling devastation in Gaza that while they can study safely here, they must leave their loved ones behind. No one should be forced to choose between their education and their family.”
