- June 11, 2026
- 7:17 pm
- Israel
On June 10, 2026, the Knesset Committee on Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs held a supervisory meeting on the issues of residence permits for refugees from Ukraine in Israel, the situation of refugee children, and the registration of family status for international couples.
The Knesset raised the issue of Ukrainians, international families, and status in Israel.
On the 25th of Sivan, 5786, June 10, 2026, the Knesset Committee on Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs held a supervisory meeting that directly affects thousands of people in Israel.
The topic sounds bureaucratic: the procedure of state bodies in processing status based on family relations.
But behind this wording are real families, Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection, international couples, children, spouses, people without a clear future, and those who have been waiting for months or years for a response from the Ministry of Interior.
At the meeting chaired by Member of Knesset Gilad Kariv from the Labor Party, they discussed how Israel processes status for people connected by family relations with citizens of the country and what happens with Ukrainians who are here due to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The main figure sounded harsh: according to the Population and Immigration Authority, as of March 31, 2026, there are 23,000 Ukrainian citizens in Israel under the policy of temporary protection and non-deportation.
This is not abstract statistics.
These are people who have been living in Israel for more than a month or a year. Some work, some raise children, some wait for documents, some do not understand what will happen after the next extension of the residence permit.
Permits for Ukrainians are valid until the end of June.
The Population and Immigration Authority reported that residence permits for Ukrainian citizens in Israel have been repeatedly automatically extended by decisions of the Minister of Interior and the Director-General of the authority.
Currently, they are valid until June 30, 2026, or until the end of the war in Ukraine — whichever event occurs first.
It is expected that the permits will be automatically extended for another three months. But this scheme is causing concern: people’s lives are effectively divided into short segments of 90 days.
For a tourist, three months is the duration of a trip.
For a family that fled the war, three months is not a life, but a regime of constant waiting. It is impossible to properly plan work, children’s education, housing rent, treatment, documents, the future.
The Population and Immigration Authority stated that the issue of further extending permits and continuing the policy of non-forced deportation after June 30, 2026, is currently under professional review. A decision must be made and published before the current extension period ends.
Gilad Kariv: Israel is effectively showing international couples the door.
Committee Chairman Gilad Kariv formulated the problem sharply.
According to him, the state of Israel is effectively pointing international couples to the door. He emphasized that the committee deals not only with issues of immigration and diaspora but also with preventing emigration from Israel.
This is an important turn.
Usually, the issue of the status of a foreign spouse or partner is considered a problem of the Ministry of Interior, questionnaires, certificates, consular interviews, and relationship checks. Kariv linked it to a broader trend — the departure of people from Israel.
According to the Knesset Research and Information Center, in recent years, the number of those leaving the country has been growing. We are talking about tens of thousands of Israelis, most of whom were born in Israel.
Kariv noted that for him, every couple — Israeli or international — that decides to leave the country is a cause for regret.
The proportion of those leaving is especially high among Israelis who are in relationships with foreign citizens. And here the reason is often not the lack of connection with Israel, but the inability to go through the step-by-step legalization procedure for years without nerves, humiliation, financial losses, and fear of rejection.
What the committee requires
Kariv called for the recognition of international families and the provision of relief in status issues in Israel during the step-by-step procedure.
Separately, he proposed considering the possibility of changing the status of such couples to category B/1.
This is fundamentally important: status B/1 gives permission to reside and work in Israel. For a person living here with an Israeli partner, this is not just a technical mark. It is an opportunity to work legally, pay taxes, live without a constant sense of temporariness, and not be completely dependent on the partner.
The Population and Immigration Authority, for its part, stated that over the past two years, it has significantly improved the level of service within the step-by-step procedure and transferred the submission of applications to a remote online format.
According to the authority, this relieves applicants from the need to personally visit branches and allows for centralized and professional checks.
It was also stated that granting B/1 status for three years to de facto spouses not officially married is a provided part of the step-by-step procedure.
On paper, everything sounds neat.
But if the system worked without failures, a separate supervisory meeting would not be needed in the Knesset.
Ukrainian refugees, children, and rights: why Israel needs clear solutions
For readers of NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency, this topic is especially sensitive because it concerns two large groups: Ukrainians who received temporary protection due to Russia’s war against Ukraine and international families trying to formalize status in Israel through family relations.
Both groups face the same problem: formally, the state does not completely close the door, but it does not provide a sufficiently stable solution either.
People remain in an intermediate position.
They seem to be legally in Israel, but often cannot fully realize their rights. They seem to be protected from deportation, but depend on the next extension. They seem to be going through the procedure, but do not always understand the deadlines, requirements, logic of decisions, and real chances.
Gilad Kariv said directly: when Israel accepts war refugees, it is wrong to give them a residence permit and extend it every time for only three months.
According to him, such people receive a tourist visa and cannot fully realize their rights during their stay in Israel.
Children from Ukraine: Knesset demands accurate data
Separately, the committee chairman demanded to obtain full statistics on refugee children from Ukraine who are in Israel.
He is interested not only in the total number of children.
Kariv asked to find out how many of them are integrated into the education system of the Ministry of Education and how they are geographically distributed across the country. This is no longer just a question for the Ministry of Interior. This is a question of schools, municipalities, social support, language, adaptation, and the future of children who ended up in Israel because of the war.
If a child lives in the country but is not properly integrated into the education system, the problem becomes long-term.
It affects not only the family but also Israeli society. Especially if we are talking about thousands of people who are here not as tourists, but as forced migrants from a country where the war continues.
Kariv also asked the Population and Immigration Authority to cooperate with the Knesset Research and Information Center and provide data for the preparation of a research paper.
The committee wants to obtain up-to-date statistics on the processing times of applications from international couples for status in Israel.
Why the lack of status becomes a problem for the whole country
The most alarming part of Kariv’s statement came at the end: he is extremely concerned that there are people living in Israel without official status and, accordingly, without the ability to fully realize their rights.
This is no longer a private issue of one couple or one family.
When thousands of people appear in the country in a suspended legal position, it creates a gray zone. A person may work unofficially, be afraid to seek medical help, not understand whether they have the right to education for their children, fear any contact with state structures.
For Israel, which constantly talks about the connection with the diaspora, immigration, family unity, and humanitarian responsibility, such a situation looks contradictory.
On the one hand, the country accepts people and does not deport Ukrainians who fled the war.
On the other hand, many of them live without a stable status, with extensions for three months and without a clear roadmap.
The Knesset Committee meeting on June 10, 2026, showed that the topic of Ukrainians in Israel and international families goes beyond ordinary bureaucracy. It is a matter of demography, human rights, absorption, repatriation, family policy, and trust in the state.
The committee intends to hold an additional meeting and get answers from all relevant departments.
Kariv also asked to study the order of interaction between the Population and Immigration Authority and the “Nativ” organization under the Prime Minister’s Office.
The main question now is simple: can Israel move from temporary extensions and complex procedures to a clear policy for people who already live here, are connected with Israeli families, or are in the country because of the war.
There is no answer yet.
But the very formulation of the question in the Knesset already means that the problem can no longer be hidden behind formulations about “professional review” and “step-by-step procedure”.
FAQ
How many Ukrainian citizens are in Israel under temporary protection?
According to the Population and Immigration Authority as of March 31, 2026, there are 23,000 Ukrainian citizens in Israel under the policy of temporary protection and non-deportation.
Until when are the residence permits for Ukrainians valid?
Currently, the permits are valid until June 30, 2026, or until the end of the war in Ukraine — whichever comes first. An automatic extension for another three months is expected.
Who conducted the meeting in the Knesset?
The meeting was conducted by the Knesset Committee on Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs chaired by Member of Knesset Gilad Kariv from the Labor Party.
What is B/1 status?
B/1 is a permit for residence and work in Israel. The committee proposes considering granting such status to international couples during the step-by-step legalization procedure.
Why is the topic important for international families?
Because couples where one partner is an Israeli citizen and the other is a foreign citizen often face long waits, checks, and uncertainty. According to Gilad Kariv, such a policy effectively pushes some families to leave Israel.
What does the Knesset want to know about children from Ukraine?
The committee requested data on the number of refugee children from Ukraine in Israel, their integration into the education system of the Ministry of Education, and their geographical distribution across the country.