Residency and Citizenship in Israel
Category: Без рубрики, Date added: 30.03.2019,
Israel, despite being a liberal democratic country, is not an immigration country. Therefore, Israel does not have laws and regulations enabling foreigners who wish to come and settle Israel the opportunity to do so.
The laws relevant to entering and residing in Israel for different purposes are the Law of Entry to Israel – 1952 and the Law of Return – 1950. In addition, the Citizenship Law – 1952 details possible options for becoming a citizen.
Based on the above laws, immigration to Israel is mainly possible per Aliyah process, a process available to Zakaey Shvut , persons eligible under The Law of Return with Jewish roots.
Those born to parents who are Israeli citizens automatically receive Israeli citizenship and all the rights incorporated eo ipso therein, primarily the right to reside in Israel and be legally employed therein. Other people, who are citizens of foreign countries but who wish to live in Israel are entitled to do so under certain conditions. In cases where they attain the legal right to stay in Israel, temporarily or permanently, they nevertheless usually face considerable bureaucratic hurdles that the Ministry of the Interior places for those wishing to realize that right.
Who are the foreign citizens entitled to live in Israel?
Persons who draw that right from the Law of Return: Jews, as well as the children and grandchildren of Jews (even if they are not considered to be Jewish according to strict Jewish law), are entitled to immigrate to Israel and receive citizenship therein. Problems may arise when, for example, a person finds it difficult to prove that he/she or his/her ancestors are Jewish, or when the state refuses to recognize conversion.
The spouses of Israeli citizens and residents: Every Israeli citizen and resident is entitled to choose his or her spouse as he or she see fit, and their spouse – who is a citizen of another country – Is entitled to live with him/her in Israel. For this purpose, the couple should prove the sincerity of the relationship between them, and that the center of their lives in Israel. At the end of a process which lasts several years, the foreign spouse can obtain citizenship in Israel. The Ministry of the Interior does nothing to ease the process, and it is advisable that the couple be prepared for that and receive appropriate counsel even before the first application to the Ministry of the Interior, in order to prevent mishaps and refusals.
