Israel cancels emergency repatriation program for Russians and Belarusians

Citizens of Russia and Belarus will no longer be able to use the emergency repatriation procedure to Israel. It is reported by The Moscow Times with reference to the country's Ministry of Immigration and Absorption. At the same time, for Ukrainians, the procedure for urgently obtaining Israeli citizenship remains the same. The only change is that from June 15 they will be served not by 10 centers, but by three.

Local authorities explained the refusal of the program for Russians and Belarusians by the fact that recently fewer applicants “without a visa due to fleeing from the war zone” have been arriving in Israel. The ministry said in a statement that citizens of Russia and Belarus who arrived in Israel before April 15, 2023, can still obtain an Israeli passport under the accelerated procedure until June 15. If they fail to meet the deadline, they will need to go through this process in a general manner, which takes from several months to a year. The same applies to those who came to Israel after April 15th.

The country's authorities introduced an emergency repatriation procedure in the spring of 2022, amid a sharp increase in those wishing to obtain an Israeli passport. It greatly speeds up and simplifies the process of obtaining Israeli citizenship: it can be used to obtain citizenship in a few months.

The Times of Israel, citing the Jewish Agency, reports that more than 70,000 people repatriated to Israel last year. This is the highest figure in the last 20 years. More than half of the immigrants came from Russia, a fifth from Ukraine.

Sources: The Moscow Times , Times of Israel

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