Israel to Allow More Ukrainian Refugees to Work

Israel announced on Tuesday that beginning July 1, Ukrainians who arrived before the outbreak of the Russia war will be able to work in Israel.

The decision follows several cases in which Tel Aviv District Court Judge Michal Agmon-Gonen ruled that the Population and Immigration Authority must grant Ukrainian citizens temporary work permits.

This decision is expected to affect some 13,000 Ukrainians currently in Israel whose tourist visas have expired. In addition, for Ukrainian citizens who arrived after the Russian invasion began, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked has extended resident permits until the end of July.

An umbrella human-rights organization in Israel recently requested that Shaked and the Population and Immigration Authority grant the right to work for Ukrainians who have been in the country without a permit since the outbreak of the war, but who are protected from deportation.

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At a district-court hearing last month, Agmon-Gonen criticized the Interior Ministry's policy regarding refugees from Ukraine, saying the state violates their human rights by not allowing them to work even though they are protected from deportation.

Labor Party lawmaker Ibtisam Mara’ana, chair of the Special Committee for Foreign Workers, has made similar demands from the Interior Ministry on the matter.