The Home Office is being taken to court by a Palestinian refugee who claims it is refusing to grant visas to his family, who are currently in Gaza. The man’s request for his wife and children to apply for visas without giving fingerprints was denied. Two of the children recently contracted Hepatitis A, which is reportedly spreading throughout the area. However, the Home Office has declined to comment on the case, saying only that the applications were “carefully considered” and must meet specific requirements.
Refugees who are granted asylum in the UK are entitled to apply for family-reunion visas for their relatives to join them in the country. The family applied for these visas in December, however, due to the lack of visa-application centres in Gaza, the family asked to be exempt from having to provide fingerprints, or to be allowed to travel to an Egyptian visa centre. The Home Office refused, saying only that applicants could only apply for visas if they could travel to the UK.
The family has since brought a judicial review, requesting an examination of the Home Office’s decision. They claim their lives are in danger and that the decision could mean his family dies in Gaza without ever seeing him again. Lawyers representing the family also claim that with each day that passes, the family’s safety is further compromised.
It has never been easy for Palestinians to leave Gaza to enter Egypt, and with a current outbreak of conflict, leaving the area has become even more difficult. It was reported in November that the Home Office was working with the Foreign Office to help British people and their non-British relatives evacuate Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Anyone able to leave through the crossing can receive medical, consular, and administrative support from British embassy staff in Cairo
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