Israel Decision on Foreign Workers Children

August 4, 2010 The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv reported to the Department of Foreign  Affairs that the Israeli government has reached a decision to accept the recommendations made by an inter-ministerial committee on the issue of the status of 1,200 children of foreign workers who have their legal status in Israel.

The six guideline that must be met in order for the Israeli government to allow children and their parents to remain in Israel:

1.      The child must have been enrolled in the Israeli school system in the past year;

2.      Said child must be enlisted for the next school year in the first grade or higher;

3.      Said child must have lived at least five years in Israel;

4.      If born in another country, the child must have entered Israel before the age of 13;

5.      The child must be a Hebrew speaker; and,

6.      The parents of the child entered Israel using a valid visa.

According to the Israel government's announcement, it is estimated that out of the 1,200 children who have fallen in this category, 800 would most likely qualify while the remaining 400 children might not meet the criteria. The Embassy anticipates that many Filipino children would be eligible under the newly issued guidelines and has given applicants a period of 21 days to file their application at the Ministry of Interior. For its part, the Embassy is ready to facilitate the issuance of necessary legal documents to all applicants. In anticipation of the possible surge in the number of applicants during the 21 day period, the Embassy has set up task force in the Consular section specifically to address the needs of these children. 

On the 400 applicants whose applications might be denied and while the exact number of Filipino children is not yet known, the Embassy reported that the Israeli government has emphasized that these disqualified applicants will be departing Israel with dignity and be treated humanely. News report said that this ruling will cover children of migrant workers of Chinese, Thai and Filipino nationalities and among others.

Based on previous deportation cases, individuals are allowed to pack their belongings and leave quietly.  Also, the Israeli government shoulders their plane fare.  Deportees may also appeal the ruling with the courts.

The new policy affects children of foreign workers who arrived legally and then started families.  Under Israeli law, their children are not automatically granted residency status. 

 More report to read  here.