Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests for deferred biometric enrolment from student visa applicants in Gaza have been (a) received, (b) refused and (c) accepted since 7 October 2023.

The Home Office does not currently publish data regarding the number of biometric deferral requests submitted or approved.

The Home Office has put in place systems to issue expedited visas, with biometric checks conducted prior to arrival in the UK for all Chevening scholars from Gaza.  We are in the process of doing the same for a group of students in Gaza who have been awarded fully funded scholarships covering course fees and living costs at UK universities so they can start their studies in Autumn 2025. The Government is doing everything it can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK. The situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging.