Aliyah to Israel

How does Israeli law limit the issuance of passports for olim? New immigrants (“olim hadashim”) are entitled to receive Israeli citizenship by virtue of the Law of Return, and thus they are also entitled to an Israeli passport. As of right now, the first Israeli passport is only valid for one year, but every oleh…

New immigrants to Israel are granted an Oleh certificate, which confers access to an array of benefits and rights. Not all olim are aware that the right to an Oleh certificate is time-restricted, and that after a certain period of time in Israel, the right to this certificate expires, together with the benefits it confers.…

Are children of converts to Judaism eligible to Israeli legal status as citizens? In general, the Law of Return stipulates that Jews and their children who were born after the parents converted to Judaism are eligible for Aliyah to Israel under the Law of Return. However, legal difficulties may arise in this context, such as…

Former Israelis who have renounced their citizenship may apply to reissue their Israel citizenship by way of making Aliyah. Requests for restoring Israeli citizenship will be examined via a more strict procedure than requests for Aliyah to Israel by eligible immigrants under the Law of Return who have not renounced their right to citizenship. Children…

Some people who are eligible to make aliya under the Law of Return do not wish to make aliyah to Israel or have not yet made up their mind on the matter. However, the State of Israel provides a special work visa for Aliyah eligible foreign citizens under favorable conditions and even allows them to…

What is the grandchild clause in the Law of Return, and who is interested in its repeal? The “grandchild clause” is a nickname for section 4(a) of the Law of Return, which grants children and grandchildren of Jews the right to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return. In recent years more and more…

Immigrants are often forced to immigrate to Israel in a “split aliyah” — leaving their families or spouses behind. In short, those entitled to make Aliyah may do so without their children and spouses, but not the other way around. Below is an explanation of this important and topical issue by attorney Michael Decker, a…

There are currently some 150,000 Jews of Ethiopian extraction living in Israel, who made aliya from Ethiopia or its surroundings. Most of the olim came to Israel covertly during the aliya of Ethiopian Jewry in Operation Moses in 1984 and Operation Solomon in 1991. Despite the great excitement surrounding their arrival to Israel and the…