From the Irish Times, November 1 2025

Well done to the journalist Órla Ryan

One word sums up this story – Despicable

Gazan doctor fears she will lose place on UCC course after visa application rejected

Baraa Mansour, who was evacuated from Palestinian enclave in 2024, says refusal of her visa is ‘devastating’

A doctor from Gaza fears she will lose her place on a Master’s course at University College Cork because she cannot secure a visa to come to Ireland.

Baraa Mansour was evacuated from Gaza in May 2024 so she could complete her medical studies. She has been in Cairo in Egypt since then.

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.

She appealed this decision via Khurshid and Co solicitors, a legal firm based in Dublin. Her appeal was rejected in August.

n 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 “grave concerns” she may seek to overstay a visa and remain in the country without permission.

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.

Ms Mansour said UCC “kindly” allowed her to delay her arrival to date, but she fears she will lose her place if the visa is not granted imminently.

A number of doctors based in Ireland have supported her application, including one who has paid around €9,000 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.

Ms Mansour, who was studying to be a doctor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza when the war broke out, said it was “very, very difficult” to leave Gaza while her parents and other loved ones stayed.