Visa Processing Resumes at Israeli Consulates; Delays Ahead

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At a Glance

• The strike at the Foreign Ministry’s Workers Union has ended, resuming visa services at Israeli consulates in China, Turkey and India, which were suspended for 22 days.
• Significant processing delays are expected in each affected consulate. Foreign nationals applying for Israeli visas in the affected countries should account for the delays in their travel and work plans.

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The situation

Israeli consulates in China, Turkey and India have resumed processing visa applications after processing was suspended on June 26, 2019.

Impact

Foreign nationals applying for Israeli visas in China, Turkey and India should expect delays in visa processing and plan their travel around these delays.

Background

Israeli consular posts in these countries had suspended processing most visas after a strike by the Foreign Ministry’s Workers Union began on June 26, 2019. An agreement was struck between the workers and the Israeli treasury on July 22 to end the strike.

Looking ahead

Once the backlog of applications is processed, foreign nationals can expect to see normal processing times resume in these countries.

Fragomen in China is Fragomen (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., operating exclusively as an immigration consultancy and not as a law firm in China. Fragomen in India is Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt) Ltd., operating exclusively as an immigration consultancy and not as a law firm in India. Fragomen worked closely with the Bener Law Office in Istanbul and with Kan-Tor & Acco Law Firm in Israel to prepare this alert. This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.