Partners and children of some Gazan PhD and master’s students coming to study in the UK will now be able to join them, the government has confirmed.
It marks a reversal of the original policy, which only supported the evacuation of the students themselves.
Each application will be considered on a “case-by-case basis”, a government spokesperson said, with dependants needing to meet certain requirements, including proving they can cover living costs.
Visas are only available to dependants of students on government-funded courses, such as Chevening scholarships, or those studying for PhDs and other research-based higher degrees.
Some students had previously said they would not be able to travel to the UK to take up their university scholarships because it would involve leaving their children behind.
Those wishing to join their relatives in the UK will need to apply for a student dependant visa application and meet the requirements, including evidence that they have sufficient funds – up to £6,120 ($8,074) for those studying outside London, or £7,605 for those studying in London.
“Students coming from Gaza to the UK have suffered an appalling ordeal after two years of conflict,” the 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.”
Manar al-Houbi, who previously told the BBC it was “impossible” for her to leave her three young children and husband behind in Gaza to take up her PhD place at the University of Glasgow, said she was “deeply relieved” by the policy change and hoped to be evacuated with her family “very soon”.
“Academic women should never be deprived of their professional just because they have family responsibilities. I am very grateful to the UK government for making this wise and fair decision,” she added.
At least 75 Gazan students have arrived in the UK since the government began supporting evacuations for those with fully-funded scholarships last month, including a third group of 17 students who arrived on Monday.
However, the BBC understands that six students due to begin master’s courses in Glasgow will now not be evacuated, as they would arrive too late to start their studies this year.
Dr Nora Parr, a University of Birmingham researcher who has been coordinating efforts to support the students, welcomed the policy change but said she was “devastated” that these six students had lost their “hard-earned places”.
“The existing government policy leaves both these students and their university in a cruel limbo,” she said.
The University of Glasgow declined to comment. The BBC understands that the university will honour the places held by the six students if they are able to arrive in time for future enrolment deadlines.
The current evacuation support scheme runs until the end of the year and it is unclear what will replace it.
The war in Gaza was triggered by an attack on southern Israel by Hamas-led gunmen on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 65,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
A US-brokered ceasefire deal was signed earlier this month, with Hamas returning all 20 living hostages to Israel as part of the agreement.
The ceasefire was severely tested by a deadly round of violence this week, when Israel carried out air strikes after a soldier was killed in what it said was an attack by Hamas. Hamas said it had “no connection” to the incident in Rafah.
At least 104 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli strikes, Gaza’s health ministry said.
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