By Chenoa Colaco
The UK Home Office has rejected Palestinian refugee Amena El-Ashkar’s student visa for an LSE PhD programme on the grounds that it would “harm the public interest” of the UK. El-Ashkar previously lived in London and holds a fully-funded four-year scholarship for the course.
El-Ashkar told The Beaver that she applied for her PhD student visa twice. The first application received no response after a four to six month wait period. The second application was initially accepted, but three weeks later El-Ashkar received a letter saying it was denied.
Legal proceedings revealed that former home secretary Suella Braverman had personally certified her visa rejection; such lack of disclosure has been deemed “unlawful” by a judge in the Upper Tribunal for Immigration and Asylum cases. Home Secretary James Cleverly has since said he is willing to start a fresh application for El-Ashkar.
Having previously completed her Master’s degree in Israeli Studies at SOAS from 2019-2020, El-Ashkar was granted the Chevening scholarship, a fully funded scholarship for “outstanding emerging leaders”. El-Ashkar was the first Palestinian to pass the interview stage in 25 years and one of three students to receive the scholarship in the year she applied.
Despite assurances from LSE regarding her visa, El-Ashkar encountered unexpected challenges, highlighting the School’s limited understanding of refugee experiences. With “the number of Palestinians who’ve made it to this level [being] very few, if any, in the first place,” El-Ashkar expressed frustration over systemic barriers faced by Palestinian refugees and underscored the importance of awareness and support from the LSE community.
El-Ashkar’s initial visa acceptance meant that she began her PhD programme online for a few months, with the intention of continuing in-person after visa confirmation. She praised LSE professors and staff for being “welcoming”, with the International Relations department in particular being “amazing and very very supportive.” Certain professors would regularly contact and check up on her during her visa application process. LSE has also reserved her space on the course in case the rejection is rescinded, which El-Ashkar commends.
At LSE, El-Ashkar’s research would have focused on civilian experiences in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
El-Ashkar, born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, opted to enter the UK through her education rather than as an asylum seeker, fearing the plight of being a “double refugee”. “I am already a stateless refugee. And I did not want to become a double refugee,” she says.
El-Ashkar says that Palestinians are “treated as a security threat”; this has impacted her academic pursuits and mental wellbeing. Acknowledging the reluctance many have towards engaging in discussions about Palestine, she urges continued support and awareness from the LSE community. “I don’t want people to forget me,” she says.
An LSE spokesperson said: “LSE provides dedicated support and guidance for refugees, forced migrants and displaced students who are looking to study at the School and throughout their time with us. In addition, students can access specialist advisers within the Student Advice and Engagement Team who work to support applicants. Students and applicants can contact the team using the enquiry form on How to get specialist visa advice at LSE.
“International students can find further information and support via: https://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/international-students.”
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