Israel makes it easy for visitors from countries of former Soviet Union

4 May, 2007

In stark contrast to the situation earlier, now people from countries of the former Soviet Union are finding it easier to visit Israel.

Israel’s Interior Minister Roni Bar-On announced earlier in 2007, after several months of petitioning by citizens of the former Soviet Union, changes in rules to encourage more people from the former Soviet-bloc countries to visit the Jewish state.

Under the new formulated by Israel, visas can be granted for up to 10 years, instead of just one year previously. Also, Israel has standardised guidelines for granting visas – now a single form is needed instead of the many localised forms that had been in use.

Online applications too are possible, which means all prospective visitors to Israel are not required to apply in-person at Israeli embassies.

Earlier, it was required for tourists to leave a cash deposit as a strong incentive to leave the country on time. Now, this condition is required only for people who were problematic in the past.

According to Interior Minister Roni Bar-On, though 25% of the Israeli immigrant population comes from countries of the former Soviet Union, they had the strictest visa laws. With an ever-growing immigration population, the demand for tourists, family and friends to come and visit residents in Israel has been growing, too.

Bribery and bureaucratic red-tape were common complaints by visitors in the past, but the new rules are expected to reduce these problems considerably, Interior Minister Roni Bar-On said.

According to statistics with Israel’s Central Bureau, immigration to the country has dropped significantly since the early 1990s.

In 1990, almost 200,000 people immigrated to Israel, most of them from the countries of the former Soviet Union. After 1991, when 176,100 immigrants arrived in the country, the numbers declined steadily – from 77,057 in 1992 to 19,264 in 2006.

In 2006, countries of the former Soviet Union continued to be the leading source of immigrants – at 39%. However, that number went down by 19% for countries of the former Soviet Union in Europe and down by 29% for countries of the former Soviet Union in Asia from the previous year.

As a group, the number of immigrants from the United States rose by 5% in 2006 over the previous – bringing the total to 2,157.

The United States, with over 5 million Jews, make up the largest potential pool of immigrants to Israel. And, Israel has historically depended on immigration as a source for its population.

Israel remains very open to immigration, particularly to Jewish immigrants, who are automatically granted citizenship.

Nearly 3,000,000 people have immigrated to Israel since the nation was founded. The current population of Israel is over 7 million.