Four Palestinian students seeking Irish visas have secured an agreement from the State that their visa appeals will be decided by Friday, following the settlement of High Court proceedings.
The cases came before Mr Justice Anthony Barr, who was informed that an agreement had been reached between the students and the Minister for Justice.
Counsel for the students, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC, raised concerns that if the appeals were refused, there might be insufficient time for the applicants to pursue judicial review proceedings, given the ongoing evacuation of people from Gaza.
The court heard that it was understood people could be placed on evacuation lists before visa decisions were issued, and that some of the applicants had previously been included on such lists.
The parties continued discussions to ensure that time would remain available for any further legal challenge should adverse decisions be made.
However, Mr Justice Barr said that once a settlement had been reached, his role was limited to making the agreed orders.
He added that he could not reserve hearing dates for any future judicial review proceedings, as listing matters fell within the remit of the Judicial Review List Judge.
The judge added that any future challenge would concern different decisions and would have to proceed through the normal court process.
Counsel also referred to other Palestinian students facing similar difficulties, including individuals said to be trapped in Gaza. The judge said those matters were not before him and that he was dealing only with the four cases assigned to the court.
By consent, the court ordered the Minister to determine the students’ appeals by close of business on Friday and adjourned the proceedings generally, with liberty to re-enter. The issue of costs was reserved.
The development follows an earlier hearing at which Eoin Carolan SC, for the Minister, said that outstanding appeals could be determined within days and that applications would continue to be assessed under the published visa criteria.
At that hearing, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC argued that the students could not simply abandon their High Court challenge and that the proceedings raised broader questions about lawful and proportionate decision-making.
The dispute centred on whether the students should continue their judicial review challenge or instead pursue the accelerated appeals process offered by the Minister.
Mr Justice Barr had previously indicated he was reluctant to allow both processes to proceed in parallel.
Wednesday’s agreement removes the need for an immediate substantive hearing while the students await decisions on their appeals.