About 60 charities, law firms and organizations have urged the United Kingdom’s Home Secretary, James Cleverly, to create a visa program for Palestinians stuck in Gaza with family in Britain, similar to the one established for Ukrainians two years ago.
Through a letter, they have urged the Home Office to create a Gaza family scheme as soon as possible in order “to protect human life and the right to family unity until it is safe for Palestinians to return”, Visaguide.World reports.
The proposal comes amid increasing fears of an impending Israeli ground assault in Rafah, according to the Guardian.
The letter, signed also by the Refugee Council, Care4Calais and the Helen Bamber Foundation, notes that “existing immigration routes are insufficient and not working” emphasizing how a Gaza family scheme would “enable Palestinians in Gaza to reunite with their immediate and extended family members in the UK”.
Biometric Data Requirement Impedes Palestinians from Applying for Family Reunification
According to the letter, eligible Palestinians have been ineligible to apply for family reunion visas due to the requirement of the Home Office to enroll biometric data, also taking fingerprints into account.
The letter notes that while the Home Office permits for the deferral of biometric requirements in some cases, the majority of requests for such exemptions have been turned down. So far, two persons in Gaza lost their lives while waiting for a decision on their applications.
Palestinians in Gaza are thus trapped in a catch-22: the British government is demanding that they register biometrics, but it is denying them a viable way of doing so … It is in this context that Palestinian families in the UK have called for a Gaza family scheme alongside a permanent and immediate ceasefire.
A petition urging for a Palestinian family visa program has been signed by over 54,000 people up to this point. In order to be considered for debate in parliament it needs a total of 100,000 signatures.
In this regard, a Home Office spokesperson said they are working around the clock in order to get British nationals who want to leave Gaza.
Supporting Ukraine through Two Different Schemes
The UK has two different schemes in order to support nationals of Ukraine and their immediate family members who wish to either reach the UK or remain in this territory.
Since the establishment of the Ukraine Family Scheme about 253,400 people have been granted UK visas.