The process of deportation from Israel for visitors denied entry<\/h3>\n

Deportation from Israel can happen to any visitor – workers, tourists and spouses of Israelis. Population and Immigration Authority<\/a> officials (the Border Crossings Authority, also known as border control) have broad authority to refuse entry into Israel, to arrest and expel visitors. In this article, an attorney specializing in Israeli immigration law explains what leads to deportation from Israel and how it can be avoided.<\/p>\n

We specialize in immigration to Israel: Aliyah, work visas, entry as tourists and family unification. We are often approached by tourists, pilgrims, as well as relatives and spouses of Israeli citizens, who have been arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport and are facing deportation from Israel.This article by Joshua Pex will explain what happens when detained and how to avoid deportation.<\/p>\n

Border Control Questions:<\/h4>\n

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The first stage leading to arrest and deportation from Israel is something that everyone goes through – getting off the plane and being asked a few questions by a border control clerk. Israeli citizens get an automatic pass. Foreign citizens are subjected to more in-depth questioning to ensure that they have a “good” reason to enter Israel. The main issues being checked; whether the visitor came to Israel as a tourist or through another visa and whether there is a suspicion that the entry is for the purposes of illegally working or living in Israel.<\/p>\n

As written in more depth in another article on our site<\/a>, it is possible and plausible to prepare for these questions. Write down the details of the people you’re going to meet – relatives, friends or employers. Explain how long you will be in Israel, where you will stay and how you will leave (plane tickets, timetables). It is important to answer questions in a relaxed and coherent manner, without getting excited or irritated. Tourists from a country with which Israel does not have a “visa-free<\/a>” arrangement, or from a country whose citizens are often refused entry to Israel, should bring documents indicating that their “center of life” is in the country of origin. This is to prove that they have no reason to stay in Israel or work here illegally. Generally, border control officials will not refuse entry into Israel if the visitor has a clean criminal record (at least sufficiently clean that information about it is not available in Israel), and left Israel before their visa expired on previous visits. It is recommended to look clean and tidy and to dress in a way that does not attract notice.<\/p>\n