Israel is considered one of the most popular countries for immigration among residents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other CIS countries. The popularity of this country among immigrants is due to several reasons. One of the main reasons is the high standard of living and social protection of the population.

Reasons for immigrating to Israel

Israel occupies a leading position in all possible rankings. This country has the lowest child mortality rate in the world. Israel is the leader in the number of computers per capita. Most importantly, this country is a recognized leader in the field of medicine. It is here that advanced methods of treating the most complex diseases are used. A high level of medical care was achieved due to the solid financial support of the state.

In the past few years, the Israeli government has been actively fighting corruption. As a result, the level of corruption is decreasing in the country. Today in Israel, everything is done according to the law, from starting your own business to receiving quality medical care. Thanks to such actions of the government, the life of ordinary people is greatly simplified.

Security is another reason many people take the step of immigrating to Israel. There is an extremely low crime rate here. In any city of the country, children can safely walk even at night. This level of security was achieved as part of Israel's fight against terrorist threats.

Among other reasons for the popularity of this direction of immigration, quality medicine can be noted. Israeli doctors are considered among the best in the world. This fact is due to the possibility of access to advanced technologies. It is here that the most complex operations are carried out and it is here that people from all over the world come to be treated. One has only to say that at the moment, life expectancy in Israel is just over 80 years.

The desire to immigrate to Israel can be caused by other reasons:

• warm climate and ecological well-being;
• modern education system;
• high salaries;
• pension provision;
• developed infrastructure;
• high cultural level;
• peace-loving and tolerance of local residents.

Level of immigration to Israel

Over the past few years, the level of immigration to Israel of ethnic Jews has increased by more than 40%. According to statistics, most of the immigrants are Russians and Ukrainians.

In the first quarter of this year, more than 6,000 ethnic Jews emigrated to the "Promised Land". Slightly less than a third of the immigrants who went to Israel this year are Ukrainians. It is worth noting that in the past few years, the flow of emigrants from this country to Israel has been steadily growing. At the beginning of this year, a little more than one and a half thousand emigrants from Russia moved to Israel. In third place in terms of the number of immigrants to Israel is France. The main reason for the emigration of Jews are the anti-Semitic sentiments that have been observed in France over the past few years.

Repatriation is the main way to emigrate to Israel

There are several ways to move to Israel for permanent residence. One such method is the "Law of Return". In accordance with this law, an immigrant must prove his belonging to the Jewish people. This law was passed immediately after Israel's independence in 1950.

According to the Law of Return, citizens who have Jewish roots and wish to reunite with their people may qualify for certain preferences. First, they are entitled to compensation for the cost of buying air tickets. Secondly, immigrants who choose this method can count on financial assistance from the state upon arrival. Thirdly, the state will also provide an opportunity to take a free Hebrew course. Finally, under the Law of Return, immigrants can take retraining courses free of charge.

But in order to take advantage of such preferences, an immigrant must prove that in his family tree there are relatives who come from Israel. And here certain difficulties may arise. By law, maternal Jews must prove that they did not convert to another religion. As a last resort, an immigrant can convert to Judaism. However, you should be aware that the procedure for converting to Judaism is quite complicated and lengthy. A person who wants to immigrate to Israel will have to almost completely reconsider their way of life, give up some habits, and also obey a variety of prohibitions and taboos.

The repatriation procedure consists of several stages. At the first stage, a person wishing to immigrate to Israel for permanent residence must provide documents proving their belonging to the Jewish people. In addition, a person planning to travel to Israel must complete all required forms and declarations.

After checking the documents, the immigrant will have a conversation with the Consul. In some cases, Consuls conduct exit interviews. This option is possible if the Israeli Consulate receives a large number of applications for repatriation from one city. You can always find out about upcoming field interviews on the official website of the Israeli consulate in the country of residence of a potential repatriate.

After passing through the Consulate, the immigrant will receive a stamp in the passport “departure for permanent residence”. Further, the matter remains small: an immigrant needs to obtain a visa and purchase air tickets.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the process of filling out the questionnaire. One of the items on this questionnaire is the question “What is your religion”. If the immigrant does not belong to the Jewish faith, he should indicate "non-believer". This is due to the fact that the answer "Muslim" or "Christian" will mean a transition to another religion. Accordingly, the Israeli Consulate will have a good reason to refuse immigration for permanent residence.

Required documents for immigration to Israel

Those wishing to leave for permanent residence in Israel under the "Law of Return" must provide the following documents:

• all available passports;
• color photo 3*4 cm;
• a foreign passport, the validity of which does not expire within 6 months after obtaining a visa;
• birth certificate (including parents);
• certificate of marriage of parents, as well as grandparents of Jewish parents;
• birth certificate of a Jewish relative;
• military ID;
• employment history;
• education documents;
• documents proving the identity of relatives living in Israel.

Marriage as a way to emigrate to Israel

The second most popular way to immigrate to Israel is marriage. Moreover, both marriage with an Israeli citizen and marriage with an immigrant who has received the right to permanent residence are suitable for obtaining a residence permit. Moreover, legal immigration to Israel is also possible in the case of marriage with a person who only applies for permanent residence. In this case, the foreign spouse will be able to acquire Israeli citizenship after a few years.

In order to use this method of immigration to this country, the newly-made spouses must apply to the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs in order to obtain the appropriate permission. Representatives of the internal security agencies will without fail check the legality of the newly created marriage. If the results of the investigation show that the marriage is not fictitious, then the foreigner will be able to obtain a visa for a period of one year. After the expiration of this visa, he will have the opportunity to extend this document for up to 5 years. A new repatriate will be able to obtain the right to a residence permit after 7 years of permanent residence in Israel.

As in the case of the "Law of Return", an immigrant can count on state assistance. During the first year of stay in Israel, the new immigrant will receive an "absorption basket". This allowance provides an opportunity to take advantage of subsidies that reduce the cost of living in a new country. The size of the "absorption basket" depends on two criteria: the composition of the family and the age of its members.

Work visa to Israel

Emigration to Israel is also available to holders of a work visa. However, this option of obtaining the right to permanent residence can only be used by qualified employees. Moreover, the immigrant must have a qualification or profession unique to Israel. This is due to the fact that before concluding a contract with a foreigner, local law obliges employers to submit an application to the Israeli Ministry of Labor and Industry. In this application, the employer must necessarily indicate evidence confirming the unique qualifications of this specialist.

Even if the application from the employer is satisfied, the immigrant can expect to receive a visa for only up to one year. But after this period, the immigrant can extend the visa. If the employer refuses the services of a specialist, the visa will not be extended.

If we touch on the topic of work, it is also worth mentioning business immigration. The legislation of this state does not provide for the issuance of the right to permanent residence on the basis of starting a business. Israel is one of the few countries in which such a circumstance is not considered an argument for granting citizenship.

Other ways to immigrate

The above methods are the most popular options for legal immigration to Israel. However, immigrants can take advantage of a number of other options. So, the right to permanent residence can be obtained by elderly people who are dependent on children who currently live in Israel. To do this, children need to prove their ability to pay, which will confirm the possibility of maintaining relatives as dependents. In addition, parents should not have any other relatives other than children.

Immigration to Israel is also possible on religious grounds. In this case, the repatriate must not have an economic purpose of traveling to Israel. An immigrant must go to this state with an educational mission. A similar way of immigration concerns volunteering. A volunteer can get a visa for up to 6 months if his trip to Israel is for charitable purposes.

Step-by-step algorithm of actions for immigrants to Israel

Summing up, we should talk about a step-by-step algorithm of actions for potential repatriates to Israel:

1. choice of repatriation method;
2. collection and preparation of documents required for immigration;
3. submission of documents to the Consulate of Israel;
4. meeting with the Consul;
5. choice of place of residence;
6. booking air tickets and flights;
7. obtaining a repatriate certificate upon arrival at the airport in Israel;
8. receiving eligible benefits.

The best cities in Israel for immigration

Having resolved all issues with the legality of moving to permanent residence in Israel, it is necessary to decide on the place of future residence. For a successful choice of a city for immigration, you should use four main criteria:

• opportunity to find a job;
• cost of living (rental housing);
• the presence of a Russian-speaking diaspora;
• infrastructure development.

As in any other country, in Israel, the greatest opportunities for getting good jobs are in large, densely populated cities. Therefore, the greatest chances of getting a job for a qualified specialist are in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Petah Tikva. At the same time, unskilled specialists can count on getting a job in small towns. In almost any city in this country, you can easily get a job as a cashier, a seller in a store or a handyman at a construction site.

The cost of housing is another important aspect. In large cities in Israel, a large part of an immigrant's salary can be spent on renting an apartment. This is especially true for Tel Aviv. Therefore, for the first time it is recommended to rent housing away from the center. Moreover, it is worth understanding that Israel is a small country and here many residents live in one city and work in another. Therefore, you can get a job in Tel Aviv, but at the same time live in nearby cities - Ramat Gan, Bat Yam, Bnei Brak or Petah Tikva.

One of the main criteria for choosing a city for permanent residence is also considered the presence of a Russian-speaking diaspora. In Israel, the largest concentration of the Russian-speaking population is observed in Haifa. This city is considered the industrial center of the country. Dozens of large enterprises operate here. That is why there should be no problems with working in Haifa. The advantage of Haifa is the relatively low cost of rental housing.

A large Russian-speaking diaspora lives in the city of Bat Yam. This city is a short drive from Tel Aviv. Bat Yam is notable for low real estate prices, proximity to industrial centers and developed entertainment infrastructure.

It is worth mentioning that there are cities in Israel, the majority of the population of which are Arabs. The way of life in such cities is suitable only for Muslim Arabs. In such cities, one can hardly count on a calm and measured life. Therefore, it is better for immigrants from Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries not to plan permanent residence in cities such as Rahat, Khura, Arara-be-Negev, Kuseifa, Bir Hadaj, Tel Sheva and Segev Shalom.