(CANADA) — The University of Waterloo raised concerns in early January 2026 about visa delays affecting Palestinian graduate students, as separate new U.S. measures took effect that suspend visa issuance for Palestinian Authority document holders and pause some domestic immigration benefits.
Waterloo’s concerns center on what it described as tragic consequences of processing delays, after two of its accepted PhD students, twin sisters Sally and Dalia Ghazi, were killed in an airstrike in Gaza in late 2024 while waiting for Canadian study permits.
Canada: scope of delays and affected students
Across Canada, over 130 Palestinian students, including roughly 70 graduate students, accepted into Canadian universities remained in limbo as of early January 2026. Waterloo was referenced as a focal point as departments at several institutions reported small cohorts where funding and research timelines were being squeezed.
The Canadian delays involve Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, which processes study permits and associated requirements that students must complete before they can enroll, travel, and start funded research on time.
Biometrics and the “biometric loop”
For affected applicants, the most immediate choke point described by universities and students has been biometrics, which Canada requires for visas. The biometrics centers in Gaza are closed, and students cannot leave Gaza to reach centers in Egypt or Jordan without a valid visa or special permission.
That has left students trapped in what the account described as a “biometric loop,” creating knock-on impacts for start dates, funding continuity, and enrollment planning, particularly for research programs tied to grants and lab timelines.
Several academic departments at Waterloo and other institutions have reported small cohorts, such as groups of 15–20, where funding and research grants were at risk of expiring due to delays, even as the broader reported count included over 130 Palestinian students nationwide.
The Waterloo situation drew wider attention because it linked administrative timelines to life-and-death vulnerability for students waiting outside Canada, while still bound by standard study-permit requirements, including biometrics.
The practical pressure on students and supervisors has been how to keep plans viable without promising timelines IRCC has not guaranteed. Conversations included deferrals, maintaining funding where possible, and planning lab or supervisor capacity for delayed arrivals.
Operational and academic impacts in Canada
In Canada, applicants facing biometrics barriers have had to weigh travel constraints and feasibility as much as paperwork, because biometrics collection is tied to physical access to an appointment location that, in this case, is not available in Gaza.
Universities can still play a role in clarifying what they can and cannot do, including how to request deferrals, how enrollment deadlines are applied, and what happens to funding offers when a start date slips. The account did not describe any guaranteed pathway for faster IRCC processing.
Some of the affected students have already deferred for the third or fourth time, according to the materials, and some universities have set a “final deadline” for enrollment in late 2026.
United States: new restrictions effective January 1, 2026
Separate from Canada’s study-permit backlog, the United States implemented new restrictions effective January 1, 2026 that reshaped what Palestinian students and other applicants could do at U.S. consulates abroad and inside the country through USCIS/DHS processes.
In a statement dated December 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of State set out a broad visa-issuance posture that took effect at the start of 2026. The statement said: “Effective January 1, 2026. the Department of State is fully suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries. and to individuals traveling on any travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority, for all nonimmigrant and immigrant visa categories.”
The policy stack described draws a line between visa issuance and entry decisions handled through the Department of State and border authorities, and benefits processing inside the United States handled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under DHS.
The document-based scope matters for students because a “full suspension” on issuance affects new F-1 student visas and J-1 exchange visas at consulates, while a USCIS “hold” affects people already in the United States seeking domestic benefits such as OPT, STEM OPT, or a Change of Status.
USCIS Policy Memorandum PM-602-0194
On New Year’s Day 2026, USCIS issued Policy Memorandum PM-602-0194, titled “Hold and Review of USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from Additional High-Risk Countries,” dated January 1, 2026.
“Effective immediately, this memorandum directs U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) personnel to: 1. Place a hold on all pending benefit applications for aliens listed in Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10998. regardless of entry date.”
The cited proclamation, Presidential Proclamation 10998, was described as expanding previous restrictions to include a full suspension of entry and visa issuance for individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.
Practical differences and outcomes for students
For students, the operational difference can be stark. A consular suspension blocks issuance of new visas in affected categories, while an adjudication hold can freeze pending filings, leaving people in the United States waiting for updates on work authorization or status changes.
The account also described “enhanced review” measures tied to DHS, including a “second layer of review” for affirmative asylum applications and benefit requests from Palestinian individuals.
- No new F-1 or J-1 visas for those with Palestinian Authority documents
- A USCIS processing hold for pending domestic applications for affected individuals
The materials characterized exception pathways as very limited, listing diplomatic visas, certain humanitarian emergencies, or “National Interest Exceptions” described as rarely granted, without offering a standard timeline or outcome for applicants seeking them.
In practice, the materials outlined three main operational outcomes as of January 2026: no new F-1 or J-1 visas for those with Palestinian Authority documents, a USCIS processing hold for pending domestic applications for affected individuals, and enhanced vetting that could extend timelines and increase uncertainty.
Impacts on students already in the United States
For Palestinian students already in the United States before the January 1, 2026 deadline, the USCIS “hold” described in the memorandum can affect routine planning around graduation and employment authorization.
The account said the hold means affected students cannot easily renew work authorizations such as OPT or change their status, creating the risk of employment gaps and, potentially, forcing students out of the country upon graduation.
The materials also described additional vetting expectations that could affect both new applicants and those already in the United States seeking renewals or other benefits, including a requirement for applicants to make all social media accounts “public” for government vetting.
It also said those already in the United States were being subject to “re-interviews” for previously approved benefits, adding another layer of uncertainty for students and researchers trying to schedule travel, work starts, or academic milestones.
University guidance and compliance roles
For students weighing travel, the distinction between visa issuance and domestic benefits becomes central, because a person inside the United States may be waiting on USCIS/DHS processing while also facing constraints on future travel if consular issuance is suspended for their document category.
Universities often route U.S. student-visa compliance questions through Designated School Officials and campus immigration offices, while Canadian institutions rely on international student advising teams that can guide students on deferrals and document coordination without promising outcomes.
For universities and students trying to plan, that combination of visa issuance posture and USCIS/DHS adjudication practices can create compounded uncertainty, especially where academic programs require in-person attendance, lab access, or grant-funded work tied to specific start windows.
Context, tracking, and official sources
The combined North American picture has put attention on both administrative backlogs and security-driven restrictions, with the University of Waterloo’s experience cited alongside broader IRCC delays and the new U.S. policy instruments that took effect at the start of 2026.
In Canada, IRCC processing delays have been a wider concern across study-permit pathways, with reporting on how the IRCC backlog nears 1 million as study permit delays persist.
Broader tracking of processing slowdowns has also focused on how applications move through queues and what shifts over time, including an IRCC backlog update that follows trends in immigration processing delays.
In the United States, the start-of-2026 policy change has been discussed in the context of operational delays and changes to visa processing, including new orders bring delays, changes to the U.S. visa process.
The travel-document framing in the cited proclamation also connects to comparisons between broader restrictions and narrower ones, including analysis of full vs partial travel bans under the June 2025 proclamation.
For applicants seeking to confirm what is current, the materials pointed to official agency channels where updates and policy documents are published, including the USCIS newsroom, DHS press releases, and U.S. Department of State travel proclamations, as well as IRCC’s newsroom and updates.
- USCIS Newsroom
- DHS Press Releases
- U.S. Department of State – Travel Proclamations
- IRCC (Canada) Newsroom
Records-based approach and recommendations
For students and universities trying to manage fast-changing rules, the materials emphasized a records-based approach: monitor update dates, capture copies of relevant pages, and track the identifiers for policy instruments such as Presidential Proclamation 10998 and USCIS Policy Memorandum PM-602-0194.
The materials advised seeking case-specific advice when needed and keeping clear records of communications and document versions to support any exception requests or appeals through official channels.
Closing summary
Waterloo’s case, tied to the deaths of Sally and Dalia Ghazi while waiting for study permits, has underscored how processing barriers and travel constraints can collide with academic timelines for a small cohort. The U.S. policy shift has narrowed options for new visas and slowed domestic benefits for others.
The combined administrative and security-driven measures have created a complex environment for Palestinian students and their institutions across North America, with practical implications for enrollment, funding continuity, and employment authorization.
Waterloo Faces Visa Delays for Palestinian PhD Students: Status Update
Administrative and security-driven visa delays are severely impacting Palestinian students across North America. In Canada, processing backlogs and closed biometric centers have left over 130 students in limbo, with tragic outcomes reported by the University of Waterloo. In the United States, new 2026 policies have suspended visa issuance for those with Palestinian Authority documents and placed a hold on domestic immigration benefits for those already in the country.
