Gazan medical students granted Norway visas as ministers step in

A group of medical students from Gaza who were initially denied student visas will begin an exchange programme at the University of Oslo this month, following intervention from the Norwegian government.

Of 10 students from Al-Azhar University to be accepted onto a four-month exchange semester, all but one were denied a study permit by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), with the student who received a visa also holding Egyptian citizenship. On 2 August, however, Norway’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security directed the UDI to issue “time-limited student visa[s]” to the remaining nine students.

Speaking to Times Higher Education before her visa was approved, fifth-year medical student Manar Al Khodari said the exchange programme, through which the Al-Azhar students will complete and be examined on several of their remaining major courses, would be “so helpful”, adding, “Finishing our degree so we can go back is so crucial for our healthcare system to rebuild.”

All 10 students were displaced to Egypt following Hamas’ 7 October attacks in Israel and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza, while both the Al-Azhar campus and Al-Shifa Hospital, where they received medical training, have been destroyed.

Explaining the decision to intervene, the Norwegian government echoed Ms Al Khodari, with prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre saying in a statement: “Together with contributions from other countries, this could mean a difference for the healthcare system in Gaza in the long term.”

“Several hundred health workers have been killed and it is very difficult for aid organisations to get medical personnel into Gaza,” Mr Støre said. “The lack of healthcare personnel will make a severely affected healthcare system even less able to handle an already major humanitarian disaster.”

When the students’ permits were originally refused last month, the UDI told THE: “The current situation in Gaza weakens the likelihood that applicants from Gaza will be able to return after completing their studies in Norway.” The decision prompted outcry in Norway, with the Norwegian Medical Association and the Norwegian Student Organisation among those to condemn it.

Stein Stølen, rector of the University of Oslo, said the staff coordinating the exchange programme “never lost hope and carried on” after the students’ visa applications were denied, in part due to the strength of the public response. “But it was a relief when the good news arrived,” he said. “I am grateful for the government’s intervention.”

“In the long run, I believe that both Norwegian and European universities need to contribute more, as higher education and knowledge are extremely important elements in the rebuilding of the society,” he said.

Describing the morning she learned her visa had been approved, Ms Al Khodari said, “It was probably the happiest moment I’ve experienced in the past three years.”

“This experience will enrich my personal and professional life in ways I can’t yet fully imagine,” she said, adding, “Right now, we’re all on a frantic hunt for winter jackets – a rare commodity in Egypt.”

Fellow student Dema Ahmed told THE: “This feels like an incredible opportunity to explore new perspectives, meet people from different backgrounds, and dive into a new academic environment.”

For the Al-Azhar students, Ms Ahmed said, receiving their visas “[gave] us hope again to complete our dreams”.

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com