Foreign nationals, including British citizens, who have fled Gaza only have three days to leave Egypt following their evacuation via the Rafah Crossing on Friday. The border was then shut down for the rest of the weekend, leaving some nationals stranded in Egypt. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated, “We remain in contact with British nationals in the region to provide them with the latest information”, adding that the department was advocating for the crossing to reopen alongside their international allies.
Academics from Manchester recounted the predicament of his daughter, who is stuck in Egypt with her husband, an Egyptian national, after fleeing Gaza due to the outbreak of war. Yosra, who is English, is pregnant and worried that they will not be able to exit the country within 72 hours, as required by Egyptian regulations if Ibrahim is to evacuate to the UK with her. He stated that they had hoped that her Egyptian husband would be given an emergency or quick visa to enable them to leave Egypt to abide by the mandatory deadline.
A Family Visa application, submitted outside the UK, typically takes six months to process. The FCDO and Home Office are collaborating to expedite visa applications for non-British family members of British people evacuated from Gaza, streamlining the usual procedures. Yet it is unclear how long the accelerated process will take. In the last few weeks, Yosra’s inclusion in a Gaza shelter and now being stuck in Egypt has put a lot of stress on her heavily pregnant body, making her ill-looking and pale, according to her father.
In conclusion, the strict 72-hour departure time and visa requirements for non-UK nationals have left numerous foreign nationals and their loved ones in limbo due to the Gaza crisis. The FCDO and Home Office are working to ensure that visa procedures are expedited to enable these unfortunate evacuees
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More