Relatives of new immigrants granted permission to visit Israel
There will be a formal application system to obtain the entry permit for relatives of immigrants through the Interior Ministry, but the details of this are not yet clear.
By JEREMY SHARONALIYAH AND INTEGRATION MINISTER Pnina Tamano-Shata welcomes new immigrants from France at Ben-Gurion Airport last month.(photo credit: SHLOMI AMSALEM/GPO)
The immediate family members of new immigrants who emigrated to Israel up to four years ago will be able to visit Israel and see their relatives as of next month the Interior Ministry has decided.The issue was raised by the Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee earlier this month, due to the many requests several MKs received from new immigrants asking that their family members from abroad be allowed to visit.Committee chairman MK David Bitan of Likud announced on Wednesday during a committee hearing that the Population and Immigration Authority of the Interior Ministry had decided to approve the committee’s request for such visits, to replace a patchwork of various exemptions on the ban of foreign nationals entering the country since the COVID-19 crisis broke out.The new policy is expected to go into effect in the middle of December due to the Interior Ministry’s concern over high rates of COVID-19 infections currently in the US and Europe.A precise date for implementation has not yet been given.Under the new measures, parents, grandparents, siblings and children of any new immigrant will be able to enter Israel for a visit from this date.There will be a formal application system to obtain the entry permit for relatives of immigrants through the Interior Ministry, but the details of this are not yet clear.New immigrants are defined in Israeli law as those who have arrived less than ten years ago, but the Interior Ministry was reluctant to grant family visits to this broader category due to a concern about the number of foreign nationals entering the country during the current ongoing pandemic.It noted that there are 125,000 new immigrants who have come to Israel in the last four years and that allowing the family members of greater numbers of immigrants than this would be problematic.Yesh Atid MK Yorai Lahav Hertzanu who was involved in the initiative from the outset welcomed the decision, noting that many new immigrants lack family support in Israel and that the new measure will help redress that issue by allowing family visitation.“Olim [immigrants] have fewer support systems here than I do, and I immediately realized the importance of finding a solution that would allow them a visit from their loved ones,” said Lahav Hertzanu following the adoption of the permit scheme for immigrants’ family members.“I know that having my family here is a great source of strength for me through this lockdown, and I hope now that will be more available to new olim as well. I’m grateful to MK David Bitan for joining me in raising this important cause and reaching a compromise with the government offices.”Blue and White MK Michal Cotler-Wunsh noted in Wednesday’s committee meeting that she has received requests from elderly parents who made aliyah more than four years ago for their children to be able to visit and that this current decision would not help such citizens.She has however broadly welcomed the new measures.“After raising the issue in every possible way and asking for a comprehensive and holistic solution that acknowledges the importance of aliyah and the additional COVID-19 related implications for olim, I am glad that the immigration authorities are taking this step and extending the visiting criteria enabling immediate relatives to enter, in accordance with the health ministry guidelines,” said Cotler-Wunsh.She added however that she was disappointed that the new visiting criteria are limited to immigrants of up to four years, and that she would work to expand them to allow all new immigrants as defined under the law to visit their family in Israel.“I receive countless requests from olim that have been here for over four years, for example, who are elderly and whose children live abroad – they need their support too. Others have young children or simply want or require the support of their parents. We will follow the implementation of these guidelines and continue to discuss and address this issue responsibly so that all olim can be reunited with their immediate families and loved ones, at this trying time more than ever.”
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