300 Sudanese to be given temporary residency visas
Israel announces decision to grant A5 temporary residency status 'for humanitarian reasons' to asylum seekers who fled Darfur, a region wracked by ethnic cleansing, bringing the total number of recipient so far to 500; holders of visa eligible for social rights, Israeli ID card.
The state informed the High Court of Justice (HCJ) Sunday that it would grant temporary residency status to some 300 Sudanese migrants from the Darfur region, the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile region who are eligible for it.
In response to an appeal filed on the matter, the state said that the status would be granted within 30 days.
“After discussions and an examination of the matter, it was decided that as a first step, 300 Sudanese from the Darfur region will be granted A5 status for humanitarian reasons,” the statement read.
An A5 temporary residency visa can be granted by Israel in certain circumstances to a person seeking to reside in the country while he or she is not a student (A2), has not come to Israel as a religious delegate to work in a religious institution (A3), or is not the family member of a person who holds an A2 or A3 visa (A4). It is similar to a refugee status visa.
The state’s decision was submitted in response to appeals to the HCJ which demanded that Sudanese nationals in Israel be granted the visa. The state also added that the total figure of A5 visas granted to the Sudanese people who fled the Darfur region’s ethnic cleansing would be 500.
In June 2017, the state said that it would grant temporary residency status to 200 out of 8,000 refugees from Darfur who have been waiting years for a decision to be made on their request for asylum.
It was also noted in the statement that the A5 visa is only valid for one year, with the option of extending it at the end of every year for a total of four years. Moreover, asylum seekers who receive the visa are entitled to social benefits and an Israeli identity card.
“This is another stage which is part of a framework for the formulation of an overall policy of the State of Israel regarding the population of infiltrators and asylum seekers who are residing in Israel,” the statement continued.
“Within the framework of formulating an overall policy, the respondents are currently continuing to examine alternatives for dealing with the issue of infiltrators and asylum seekers in Israel in order to formulate an updated policy,” it went on. “Furthermore, among other things, an assessment of the picture of the situation in Sudan and its significance is underway.”
The asylum seekers, who fled the ethnic cleansing in Sudan's Darfur region, petitioned the Tel Aviv District Court citing extremely long waiting periods—sometimes reaching three years—for an answer from the Population and Immigration Authority on their asylum request.
Israel has been dragging its feet for years on responding to asylum requests filed by some 8,000 refugees from western Sudan, despite the fact that the department dealing with asylum seekers in the Population and Immigration Authority determined they should be granted refugee status.
