Dear Foreign Secretary,

As President and Vice President of the British Sociological Association, we write to you with deep urgency and conviction to urge the UK Government to take immediate, practical steps to enable Gazan students – who have been awarded academic scholarships in the UK – to safely leave Gaza and take up their places at UK universities for the 2025–2026 academic year.

Currently, 79 highly qualified students from Gaza, including in the social sciences, have secured placements at 31 universities/university colleges across the UK. 45 of these students have unconditional offers and scholarships. The rest of them have either conditional or unconditional offers, and are either waiting to hear from scholarships or raising funds by themselves. The situation is evolving constantly, as every day more universities/students contact the Gaza Scholarship Initiative.

These students represent not only academic promise but also a profound desire to contribute to the intellectual, cultural, and scientific life of the UK, as well as to the future rebuilding of higher education in Gaza. However, despite their acceptance, these scholars remain unable to travel. Since the closure of the visa office in Gaza on 7 October 2023, and amid ongoing border closures, students have no access to biometric enrolment centres in Jerusalem or Ramallah. They are, therefore, currently unable to meet basic requirements to activate their visas, despite being ready and willing to do so.

In light of these extraordinary circumstances, we urge you to champion the following measures as a matter of priority:

  • Instruct UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to exercise its discretion to waive biometric requirements for Gazan students, given that no accessible centres are currently available;
  • Extend or waive the CAS/CoS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies/Certificate of Sponsorship) timelines, or allow proof-of-award letters from universities to serve in their place so visa applications can proceed without delay;
  • Introduce transitional provisions for students with expired travel documents, as the Palestinian Authority has ceased issuing passport renewals for Gaza residents;
  • Engage with Israeli authorities in Tel Aviv to facilitate the coordinated evacuation of students who meet UK visa criteria, enabling them to travel and begin their studies.

These proposals are modest in administrative burden but transformative in human impact.

We respectfully remind you that both the Irish and French governments have recently succeeded in coordinating the safe exit of scholars from Gaza under similar circumstances. The UK has previously acted with moral leadership in similar cases involving Ukrainian and Afghan academics and students. There is now a clear opportunity – and responsibility – for the UK to uphold its humanitarian and educational values once more.

These students are poised to enrich our universities, local communities, and national academic culture. Their education in the UK will also be a vital contribution to the long-term recovery and resilience of Gaza’s devastated higher education system. The time to act is now.

With sincere thanks for your attention and anticipated support,

Yours faithfully,

Rachel Brooks – President, British Sociological Association

Les Back – Vice President, British Sociological Association

Letter sent via email to:
David Lammy
Foreign Secretary
UK Government