Family Reunification

Main Issues

The Society of St. Yves efforts to compel the Ministry of the Interior to consider and approve M’s application for family unification has ended successfully after years of postponement and ignoring. During these years M’s husband A was virtually housebound for fear of being discovered and deported. He had no access to freedom of movement and was prevented from making a living contributing to the support of his family. Indeed the couple’s right to marry and raise a family was prevented and denied so long as A had no official status or permit to live with his wife in East Jerusalem.

Uniting Families

Everybody has the right to a family and families are entitled to protection by society and State. But Palestinians who hold Jerusalem ID cards are permanent residents of Israel – not full citizens of the State of Israel.

If a Palestinian from Jerusalem decides to get married to somebody from the West Bank or abroad the couple has to apply for a family unification at the Ministry of Interior in order to allow the spouse to live together in Jerusalem. Until 2002, in most cases - following a long examination and period of waiting - the Ministry granted the status, enabling the couple to live together in Israel. But in 2002 the Israeli Government released an order which froze all family unifications and makes it since then very difficult to succeed in a family unification process.

The Gradual Process for obtaining a status in family reunification cases:

Until May 2002, applicants for family unification had to go through a process known as the gradual process. Any applicant for family unification was usually given a temporary permit for one year after proving his or her residency in Jerusalem. After the year an extension application was made. After 27 months of temporary permits, the applicant was granted temporary residency (A/5), which upon proof of residency was extended yearly for a total period of three years. After these three years permanent residency was granted. Residency in Jerusalem had to be proved all the way through.