Congratulations! You are a serious and loving couple and are interested in living together in Israel, which means that you are about to start a procedure to regulate the status of the foreign spouse at the office of the Ministry of the Interior closest to your home. So before you take the first step, here are ten simple but effective tips to help you get through the procedure safely.
1. Be patient
The State of Israel’s immigration policy is sometimes strict, but relatively, and compared to other Western countries, the procedure for Israeli spouses, even if long and sometimes tedious, is a paved way to obtain permanent status, as long as mistakes are avoided. So adopt a patient approach (even if you spent half a working day waiting for a pre-arranged appointment), try and understand the role of the system in the story, and always remember the big picture – you are still in the process of naturalization, and naturalization procedures are never simple.
2. Do not allow anyone to trample your legal rights
On the other side of the coin, if the system deviated from the procedure provisions, if you suspect unprofessional conduct or a harassing policy by the Ministry of the Interior in your case – contact an attorney immediately. In such cases, only external pressure will get the procedure back on track, and there is no point in waiting for things to work out on their own. You deserve a fair process by law.
3. Avoid fighting over documents
There is not much use in fighting the Interior Ministry requirements regarding documents. Such fights will rob you of a lot of time and money, and it will always be more efficient to issue the document and submit it. So do everything you can to bring to the Ministry of the Interior all the documents they require of you, even if you think these documents have nothing to do with your relationship. If you objectively cannot provide a specific document, turn to an attorney.
4. Come prepared for an interview
Even if you have decided that you do not need an attorney’s assistance in the procedure, have a one-on-one preparation meeting with an attorney before the interview to understand what you are heading toward and what questions you may be asked. The interview stage is critical to your application, and you may fall at all sorts of obstacles, which can be avoided by a focused and brief preparation.
5. During the interview
Listen carefully to the questions, understand what you were asked; if you did not understand, ask for the interviewer’s clarification. Think before you answer, do not guess, do not shoot answers from the hip, and simply say so if you do not know the answer. And no less important – do not forget that in front of you sits a person who does not know you and your story, please do not be ashamed to share it, the big and small details alike, to bring them into your world in a manner that will make it clear for them that you are indeed a real couple.
6. Hello? There is no answer…
If you wait over three months for the Ministry of the Interior’s decision (at any stage of the procedure), and your inquiries do not help, contact an attorney. Pressure from the lawyer will lead to a decision quickly, and you should not continue to wait in vain.
7. Maintain continuity of visas in the passport
Once you have received your first visa, the Interior Ministry must continue extending or upgrading it according to the procedure stages until the procedure has concluded. Please do not leave the foreigner without a visa in the passport unless the entire process has been stopped. Insist that your spouse always has a visa extension and, if necessary, consult an attorney.
8. Married couples
In your case, the procedure will be much shorter. Please note that you are entitled to receive a type B / 1 visa (Tourist visa with work visa), already at the first meeting of the documents’ submission, if you have submitted everything necessary and only if the foreigner is legally residing in Israel. The visa that will be granted is valid for six months, and at the end of its validity, and assuming that you have passed a successful interview, you will receive an A / 5 visa that gives the foreigner all the health and social rights (temporary residency).
9. Avoid unpleasantness at Ben-Gurion Airport
Before going abroad, do not forget to check that the foreigner has an up-to-date entry visa in their passport!
10. Do not forget to apply for citizenship / permanent residency before the end of the procedure
The procedure does not come to an end by itself, and do not expect the Ministry of the Interior to send you a reminder about it. Proactively submit the forms required to obtain citizenship / permanent residency as early as possible. Even so, the final stage is always lengthening, and you should try and manage it as efficiently and briefly as possible so as not to prolong the procedure by a few unnecessary years.
So far, only ten tips, but this is not a closed list, and there are many more tips. In general, in this type of procedure, it is essential not to make mistakes that could lead to a rejection decision, from which the return involves a lengthy legal battle. And if you have already encountered a problem, seek professional advice to deal with it properly.
So take a deep breath, hit the road, and best of luck to you!
This article was written by Adv. Tal Sahar – an expert on status regulation in Israel.
