Paul Prince
The team of lawyers and assistants are incredibly professional. Aiming to give their clients the advice possible regarding the normative and the law of Israel. With well trained and professional secretary at the front desk to the lawyers team, I could say that I had one of the most professional services possible. I'm super glad of choosing Joshua Pex of Law office for immigration solution, lawyers to advise in my case, to me, it is remarkable.
Genaan Abdelall
I cannot recommend Nechama enough! Her expertise, professionalism, and dedication to her clients is unparalleled. From the moment I reached out to her, she provided clear and concise communication, and helped me navigate through a complex legal issue with ease.
Throughout the entire process, Nechama went above and beyond to ensure that I was informed and comfortable with every decision. She demonstrated a deep knowledge of the law, and was able to offer sound advice that ultimately led to a positive outcome.
What sets Nechama apart is her compassionate and empathetic approach to her clients. She truly cares about the well-being of her clients, and it shows in the way she handles every case.
If you are in need of a lawyer, I highly recommend Nechama.
Dongdiet & Nellie
We are very happy with the services. Somehow they managed to translate the law lingo into language we actually understand 😉 and their outstanding YouTube videos helped us to have a better grasp of what process we had to go through. Their patience, clear explanation and experience are very valuable. It's also very nice to know that you will receive response promptly; it made us feel we can really trust their services. We recommend all those looking for immigration lawyers to get in touch.
Yossi Montrose
Very knowledgeable and professional
Dumitrascu Cristina
Best lawyer house from Israel! I couldn’t dealt with my situation without their professionalism and effectiveness. Their dedication to every legal aspect and their drive it’s how a true lawyer house can be!
Working in European market and international now, I couldn’t dare to let myself wide my wings on countries unknown to me. Definitely they’ll be the lawyers representing me, my business at every international aspect and on personal development.
When you hear Decker,Pex,Ofir &Co, you hear 10+ class services, luxurious professionals, confidentiality and exclusive attention to your needs.
Sveta Vashkevich
We (myself and my husband) came to Mr. Joshua Pex – for his professional advice – and we received such human warmth and caring attitude, that our hearts melted …
His attention to our details and our situation peculiarities, combined with his professionalism and knowledge, helped us to map out what needs to be done on our part: we appreciate and recommend You, Mr. Joshua!
Greg Olson
We highly recommend Adv. Mike Decker and have know him for many years. He has helped our family with many battles over the years. We recently received our permanent residency after 23 years in Israel. We so much appreciate Mike’s representation of us.
Joshua Pex was both an amazing human being and an inspiring human rights attorney. I reported directly to him for various activities I performed as in intern. I was impressed with his incredibly solid character. He is trustworthy, fair, and goes above and beyond to advocate for the vulnerable. He is completely trustworthy and high caliber in his work. His partners and employees are very blessed to work with him. I am honored to know them.
Heather Lebrun
Schruuf
We were very pleased and content with the services of this law firm. They supported us 100% and solved our case successfully, we couldn't be happier.
Arielle Bosch
Incredibly knowledgeable, approachable, accessible, and evident across the board that they truly care about the people they are helping. They are quick to respond, engaged, and obviously top-notch lawyers. I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Thank you, Joshua and Itamar for your help with our Joint Life Application. You were a calming energy during a storm - always breathed a sigh of relief after speaking with you. It is so difficult to get straight answers from the Misrad Hapnim, but you guys are straight shooters. I appreciate your candor and evident integrity. Hope to work with you in the future, and will send everyone I know in need of legal aid your way. Thank you for your guidance and support.
Sophie Cooperman
Oded Ger did an excellent job by reviewing a modeling contract I was offered. Explained the bad clauses in the contract, and their possible consequences. Thank you for your amazing job, your professionalism, your consultation and honesty. You showed me from your experience how it can be done differently. It was the best decision choosing you as my lawyer.
I highly recommend this firm, especially Oded Ger.
Gáspár Erőss
If you need to solve any complicated legal issue in Israel, don't hesitate to contact them. Otherwise you will loose hours/days/weeks with things that they can solve in minutes. They helped me to obtain my expert working visa in Israel and even after that they responded further questions and gave me advices related to administrative issues in Israel which saved me a lot of time. Irena Rosenberg and Michael Decker worked on my case, they are very professional and helpful. They will not let you down, feel free to contact them.
YK C
We had a pleasure of working with Irena Rosenberg who assisted in getting our two U.S. born children registered in Israel and supported visa process for my wife in 2021. During the pandemic, my wife and I decided to move to Israel where I am originally from after living in the U.S. for over 20 years, but we had no idea how to go about securing visas before and after arriving in Israel. Irena is knowledgeable, reliable and competent lawyer who always had answers to all our questions which made us feel confident that everything would be fine with her assistance. We are now happily living in Israel and are so grateful to have Irena who is a genuinely nice person as our lawyer.
Shaltiel Devorah
Mr. Joshua Pex is knowledgeable and Professional. I really appreciate his courteous and direct approach.
Michael and Ariellah Waizman
For Advocate Joshua Pex.
We were in a devastating situation when my wife received an order from the immigration office to leave Israel within 30 days, without any explanation, after we have been married and in the process for six and a half years. We heard of Advocate Pex through a friend of a friend. We contacted Mr. Pex and he was ready to help us when he heard of our situation.
The service is amazing! Always ready to assist without regard to the time it takes. The advice Mr. Pex gave us was great, such as what to do, he gave useful links, and advice about which officials to contact. The price for the service was great!
The process until we received the extension for another year for my wife was not long (3 months). Things started moving once Mr. Pex came into the picture.
We highly recommend Advocate Joshua Pex! We achieved our goal and the fear of deportation has been lifted!
Andreas Kelling
We have been working with Decker, Pex & Co - Law Firm in Tel Aviv for many years very well. Because we appreciated their lawyers services, we recommended businesses and individuals again and again to go there as well.
Stuart Safft
I am delighted to report that my wife and I have just obtained our Israeli citizenship. We will be forever grateful for all of the help, guidance and support which Ariel Galili of Decker, Pex & Co. provided through this process.
I am a Jewish, 80-year-old American, and my wife is not Jewish. We had started the process on our own back in November 2020 via the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh, but soon became entangled in the delays and often-changing regulations due to Covid-19. The pandemic also caused delays in obtaining the required apostilles for various documents from various state agencies and the US State Department.
We found Decker, Pex & Co. On the internet and began working with Ariel in late November 2021. Ariel did a superb job of leading us through the process, helping us to understand which documents were essential, which would most likely be required, and which, though included on the list of required documents, were rarely required. He helped us several times to understand what was likely and unlikely to occur as “the next step.” Helping us manage our expectations was extremely useful to us.
Besides his knowing the laws, regulations and procedures, Ariel also made us feel that he was truly interested in helping us to successfully work through this process in as smooth, timely, and frustration-free manner as possible.
My wife and I strongly recommend anyone planning to go through this process seriously consider hiring Decker, Pex, Ofir & Co. and, specifically, Ariel Galili.
Michelle Long
Josh has been helping me on and off for a few years now. I have needed legal advice and assistance with immigration due to a complex situation of mine, and he has been extremely available and responsive, honest and clear about my route and how to proceed. Very much recommended!
Sergei m Vashkevich
We came to Mr. Joshua with so many questions (and most of all, with so many concerns and worries) …
When we explained our case to him, first of all, he calmed us down and helped us to see the big picture, which took away our fears;
Then he presented us with a detailed explanation and a few options to explore, and a timeline, how things work and necessary steps to undertake on our part,
We thank and highly recommend Mr. Joshua for showing us so much empathy, care and professionalism (!)
Halvor Ronning
Courteous, clear, efficient service.
Lilian Granovsky
I can highly recommend these services!
Every time we turned to Joshua we always got a professional quick and helpful respond.
Jacob Newberry
A really excellent firm. They knew exactly how to handle my situation effectively and efficiently, and we got the result I needed without much fuss. Adi Berger was a wonderful advocate for me and I am deeply grateful for her help!
Kfir Cohen
We were searching for a law firm that will be honest with us and really work hard for a satisfying result, it wasn't an easy task
We found them online; they were the only law firm from all of our searchings which were completely honest and NOT gave us just what we wanted to hear
Using them guaranteed honesty above all. A legal team that is friendly and cares for a superb result
They really care about helping their customers without any other interest
Nadia gave us service behind what we expected; she was professional which lead to fast and easy process with great result
We definitely recommend using them
Eden Weiss
Extrmely friendly, professional and helpful. A big thank you to Irina especially from the Jerusalem office. Highly Recommended.
Marce Ruth St. Rey
Party time in the heart, my beloved husband received his residence after so much time of battles and faith. Gratitude, God has blessed us with wonderful beings who have accompanied us, including a "precious angel" who touched our hearts, our excellent and fantastic lawyer: Maria Chernin Dekel, sweet and wonderful human being, who has guided us and stayed On our side. side in this intense legal transit whom we bless on every occasion. God bless you dear Maria, you have exceeded your professional duty by containing us and collaborating with us in hard times, very hard, for that we want to thank you publicly, you are unique!!!
We bless and thank the entire team at Decker Pex Tal Ofir Law Firm.
Наталья Мажуга
Great lawyers Joshua Pex and Nechama and Michael Deker who really want to help you and I have very trustful relationships with them. All my cases they took they won. Thank you and let’s keep working together
TarcisioePotira Freitas
I really recommend the law office's services. The service is very professional and efficient, the price is right. I am satisfied with the services I needed and happy to have known them.
Israel iluz
We were very satisfied with the service of Nehama. She was very professional in all her dealings and kept us informed all the way.
We highly recommend this law firm. They proved to be reliable, efficient and pleasant to work with.
Morgan Jones
The team at Decker, Pex & Co have been awesome to work with in helping our US company establish banking in Israel and in providing counsel for legal needs in Israel. I highly recommend!
Prima Lorenzo
I admire the Austrian citizenship team in Tel-Aviv branch! They deserve more then 5 stars!! They are very friendly and professional. I've got Austrian citizenship in 4 months for all family members which consists of 12 people! The entire team is very friendly and responsive. They are always answering questions and support during the process. I recommend to everyone. Was 100% satisfied.
Matthias Oppliger
I have been receiving services from this Law Firm for several years now and I want to say THANK YOU to the team, especially Joshua Pex. They are doing outstanding work. The services I have received for both our Israeli non profit association but also our social business have helped us solve many issues at hand and provided solutions in complicated situations. Personally, I am grateful for support in visa issues as a foreigner living now in Israel for many years.
Priscilla Moses
competent consulting, fast processing, reliable, warm & good team. highly recommended
Amir Abt
The best lawyer firm I’ve had dealt with. I would like to thank Anat Levi and Ariel Galili from the Jerusalem branch for all of their efforts and patience, we could not have been Able to reach to where we are now without them
lynn vonne
Excellent service, very friendly and helpful, fast responding and very patient. Highly recommend. I will choose them again next time if needed.
Alexander P Gutterman
EU PASSPORT ! Big news! Thanks to Michael Decker and the other good people at the law office, as well as to the virtue of my ancestors, the cruelty of the Inquisition, reparations issued in the Iberian Peninsula, and etc, I am delighted to be on track for Portuguese and European Union Citizenship! A truly incredible development and one which brings me deep joy.
All immigration to Austria articles
Last September, the Austrian Parliament announced that it would facilitate and ease the acquisition of Austrian citizenship for Holocaust survivors and their descendants. Thousands of descendants of Austrian Holocaust survivors, living in Israel and abroad, will now be able to obtain this citizenship without fear of losing any additional existing citizenship. Their family members will also be eligible for the benefits of a European passport / Austrian citizenship. If you are a descendant of a Holocaust survivor, contact us to obtain Austrian citizenship. The law will take effect in September 2020, but applicants may start the process of collecting documents and preparing the application in advance.
Our law offices specialize in emigration law and obtaining citizenship in North America (USA and Canada), Britain, and Europe (Portugal). We offer a variety of tools, experience, and professional specialties to assist you in obtaining Austrian citizenship.
Which descendants of Holocaust survivors are eligible for Austrian citizenship?
The new law applies to direct descendants of Holocaust survivors; that is: children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It should be noted that the law applies to non-Jews as well as Jews.
“Holocaust survivors”, according to the Austrian law, refers to all victims of Nazi persecution. That means survivors of death camps, those who hid out during the war or fled from the Nazis, etc.
The new law vs. the old law – eligibility for Austrian citizenship
The current law recognizes descendants of Holocaust survivors as eligible for Austrian citizenship only if their ancestors left Austria before 1945. In contrast, the new law, to take effect in September 2020, will recognize descendants of Holocaust survivors who left the country up to 15.5.1955 as eligible for citizenship.
In addition, the law states that anyone born in Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Croatia, or Slovenia, but who lived in Austria up to 1955, will also be eligible for Austrian citizenship.
How does the new law differ from the old one?
As noted above, the law allows Holocaust survivors who left Austria up to 1955 to receive Austrian citizenship, unlike the old law, which only applied up to 1945. Moreover, the new law also allows descendants whose mothers were Holocaust survivors to obtain citizenship. This is in contrast to the old law, which only granted citizenship to descendants whose fathers were Holocaust survivors.
Many victims after the war were left alone, orphaned, ill, and impoverished. For these reasons, they were barred from emigrating from Austria and were forced to remain there in order to recover their health, search for lost family members, etc. The new law grants citizenship to descendants of those victims who remained in Austria up to 1955.
What is more, the antisemitic law of 1921 has been revoked. This law had previously denied Austrian citizenship Jewish populations from the Danubian principalities (Moldova and Romania).
Who is not allowed to petition for Austrian citizenship for Holocaust survivors?
Note that someone who has been convicted of a serious offense; participating in terrorist acts, attempting to harm Austrian democracy, financial crimes, or other serious offenses, will not be eligible to receive Austrian citizenship.
Austrian Citizenship for Israeli Defense Force soldiers officers volunteers:
Applicants who have enlisted and served in the IDF before applying for Austrian citizenship, whether regular (compulsory) service and or permanent (“Keva”) service as an officer contract professional are not restricted from receiving citizenship under the law. Neither previous permanent nor reserve academic reserve service disqualify you from obtaining Austrian citizenship, though you will lose your citizenship if you volunteer to serve in the IDF in the future.
How can you prove your eligibility for Austrian citizenship?
The candidate must present proof that they or their parents / grandparents resided in Austria and were persecuted by the Nazis. In addition, a connection must be demonstrated between extended family members (spouses and children in the case that the application relates to them as well) and the family member who was the victim of Nazi persecution.
The documents required to apply for an Austrian passport are as follows:
- A signed application for citizenship, including the story of the Holocaust survivor and a detailed history of his or her time in Austria. These documents must include information about the victim’s career path, military service, nationality, addresses, etc.
- Birth certificate
- A valid passport
- Proof of Austrian citizenship prior to emigration; an Austrian or German passport, residence certificate, certificate of exile, etc.
- Proof of acquiring Israeli, American, or other citizenship.
- Proof of name change according to marriage/divorce certificate, military service, academic degrees, and any other official document which proves connection to the country.
- Proof of the date of emigration from Austria.
It is important to emphasize that the process of submitting documents to the Austrian governmental office is without charge. The Austrian governmental office may request additional documents.
You will be required to present foreign birth and marriage certificates with an apostille certification or legalization by a consulate. Some documents may require notarized translation into German.
Application for renewed Austrian citizenship – expedited protocol
Between 1933-1945, many Jews had their Austrian citizenship revoked. In some cases, the citizenship was revoked because they chose to emigrate to another country after the disasters that struck them in Austria. Today, their descendants can apply to restore Austrian citizenship without relinquishing any additional citizenship they possess. For this process, there is a different, expedited protocol.
Re-acquiring Austrian citizenship is not time-limited, and applies to anyone who was forced to give up Austrian citizenship in the past in order to emigrate or obtain a different citizenship.
Renewed citizenship in such cases takes effect from the day an application is submitted to the aforementioned governmental authorities in Austria. It is important to clarify that in the process of re-acquiring citizenship, the citizenship does not extend automatically to the children of the applicant, although descendants can ratify their application via an additional process.
Thank you to Yonatan Gavrielov for writing this article.
Contact an attorney – Emigration to Austria
Our law offices represent the descendants of Austrian Jews. If a mother or father (or grandmother or grandfather) emigrated from Austria between 1933-1955, we can help you obtain an Austrian passport. Our offices are located in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. For a consultation and assistance in obtaining an Austrian passport, contact us at one of the telephone numbers below. Thank you.
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Austria Holocaust citizenship for Holocaust Survivors and Descendants
Austrian Citizenship for Descendants of Holocaust Survivors