Israel Cancels Hundreds of Entry Permits for Foreign Nationals

Hundreds of foreign nationals, principally from the UK, who received approval for their entry permit applications before the country was added to Israel’s red-list will have to reapply for new permits after the Population and Immigration Authority annulled the validity of their original authorizations.

With the Population and Immigration Authority already facing a heavy burden of entry permit applications from around the world, the government body will now likely be flooded with hundreds of new applications that it has already approved.

This will likely contribute to new delays and problems to the already heavily encumbered application process when restrictions on the UK are removed, beginning this Sunday. Efforts are ongoing to redress the situation.

On July 30, the government added the UK to its so-called red list of countries with high rates of corona infections, meaning that the criteria for entry into Israel for UK residents became extremely limited.

In April, the government reopened the borders to foreign nationals with first-degree relatives living in Israel and allowed them to enter for any reason.

Permits granted are valid for 30 days.

In the run-up to July 30, many hundreds of UK citizens and residents with immediate family in Israel received approval for their entry permit applications, according to the Yad L’Olim organization.

But when the government restrictions on entry into Israel for people coming from the UK, together with Turkey, Georgia, and Cyprus, came into effect on July 30, the Population Authority stated that any permits that had been granted to citizens from those countries were now null and void. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you ease the long-term effects of this virus while continuing to keep your people safe.”