Israeli Citizenship DNA Test
This article will explain issues surrounding the Israeli citizenship DNA test. There is a lot of misinformation available about this issue, so we will address how to obtain citizenship, where a DNA test qualifies as evidence, and where it does not.
Obtaining Israeli Citizenship
Generally speaking, those who are interested in Israeli citizenship by DNA test wish to prove Jewish ancestry in order to immigrate to Israel based on Israel’s 1950 Law of Return. This law indicates that any Jew, child of a Jew, or grandchild of a Jew, is permitted to immigrate to Israel. Subsequent legal processes indicate that this is only so long as a person has not converted to another religion.
Quite often, applicants know or suspect that they have Jewish ancestry, but their paperwork and documentation have been destroyed due to various politically chaotic periods or a family tragedy. It is often in this context that they wish to use a DNA test to prove their ancestry.
For example, many applicants from the former Soviet Union have had family documents destroyed during the civil war or World War II the Great Patriotic War. During the later in particular, families would often destroy any documents proving Jewish background when under German occupation or due to fear that they will soon be occupied. . In these cases, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to immigrate to Israel.
When Is an Israeli Citizenship DNA Test Needed?
Despite a number of publications saying the opposite, a DNA test is not considered evidence that can be used to justify immigration to Israel. Beyond the doubtful reliability of such tests, it’s entirely possible for a Jewish family to convert to another religion, which bars the possibility of Aliyah.
A DNA test can be used to obtain Israeli citizenship, but this is reserved to prove that a person is the child of an Israeli citizen. According to Israeli law, if a child is born to an Israeli mother or father abroad, they can be granted Israeli citizenship. The DNA test is used to authorize this, proving this familial link. We discuss more about obtaining a paternity test in Israel in another article.
In some very rare cases, a DNA test can be used to prove their relation to a Jewish parent, sibling or grandparent, even though the applicant doesn’t have documents proving this relationship, but said person has to have documents verifying that they are Jewish.
Conversion to Judaism for Immigration
We often receive emails from people indicating that they found out they have Jewish ancestry, but they cannot prove this through family documents. In order to immigrate, it is possible to do so after conversion to Judaism. Please see our article addressing this for more information.
Contact Us
If you have further questions about the Israeli citizenship DNA test or anything else about immigration law, please contact us. Our law offices have over 30 years of experience with immigration law, and we would be happy to assist with any of your legal needs.
:
:מאמרים מומלצים