By Shai Nimrodi and Daniel Aspiro, Partners
This article provides an in-depth analysis of the dramatic shift in the Population and Immigration Authority’s policy regarding asylum seekers in Israel, reflected in a near-zero recognition rate of less than 0.5% and increased enforcement. The article reviews the legal risks inherent in periodic RSD (Refugee Status Determination) interviews, the uncompromising demand for consistency regarding citizens of Ukraine, Sudan, and Uganda, and the broader implications for Israeli employers contending with an industry of forged documents. Finally, it presents the professional legal response required to protect both the rights of foreign nationals and the security of employers.
The Regulatory Shift and Tighter Supervision of Asylum Seekers
The legal and bureaucratic landscape in Israel regarding the treatment of asylum seekers and foreign nationals is currently undergoing significant transformations that require renewed preparation. According to recent data reflected in Population and Immigration Authority publications, while the Israeli economy absorbed tens of thousands of legal foreign workers in 2025, the policy toward asylum seekers has become tougher and more selective than ever.
The beating heart of this system is the RSD (Refugee Status Determination) Unit. Its central role is to examine requests for political asylum. However, contrary to popular belief, this unit does not serve as a “rubber stamp” for approving applications; rather, it operates under a clear mandate of screening and removal.
Statistics indicate that less than 0.5% of all asylum applications in Israel are approved, a figure that illustrates the high, almost impassable bar the system sets for applicants. Given that thousands of asylum applications are still awaiting a decision, authorities are working to accelerate case processing to reduce the backlog. In practice, this leads to the expedited rejection of applications lacking a strong legal basis and extensive enforcement operations.
The Consistency and Memory Test in Periodic In-Depth Interviews
As part of the systemic effort to reduce the number of foreign nationals in the country, RSD officials conduct periodic in-depth interviews with asylum seekers, often many years after their initial entry into Israel. This procedure is not technical in nature, but rather an investigation in every respect.
During these sessions, interviewers cross-reference information provided in the current interview with protocols and affidavits submitted a decade or more ago. The overarching goal of these investigations is to detect contradictions and discrepancies; a minor change in version is sufficient to undermine the applicant’s credibility, pull the rug out from under their request, and lead to their removal from Israel.
The central question tested in every such interview is whether the danger posed to the asylum seeker, should they return to their homeland, remains tangible, real, and relevant to the present time. Interviewers look for a substantial “change of circumstances” in the country of origin or the applicant’s personal life that would allow them to determine that the grounds for refugee status have expired. Without thorough legal preparation backed by up-to-date evidence, the chances of success in such an interview are slim.
Example: An asylum seeker who arrived in Israel in 2019 and underwent an initial interview stated political persecution as the reason for arrival. However, seven years later, during a subsequent interview, they do not accurately recall what was said in the first interview and now claim the reason for arrival is persecution due to being LGBTQ. The mere existence of a contradiction in claims can lead to the cancellation of the visa and deportation from Israel.
Specific Challenges: Ukraine, Sudan, and Uganda
The strict policy is applied differentially regarding citizens of various countries, with each national group posing a unique legal challenge:
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Ukraine: The RSD unit makes a sharp and clear distinction between war refugees who fled active combat zones and citizens who arrived in Israel as labor migrants prior to the outbreak of hostilities and are now attempting to regularize their status under the guise of the geopolitical situation. Those unable to prove a direct link to the danger of war may find themselves without legal status.
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Sudan (specifically Darfur): Authorities are attempting to reduce Group Protection and move toward an individual examination of each case. In these instances, internal political changes in Sudan are often used by the Authority to argue that safe return is possible, shifting the burden of proof for concrete personal danger onto the applicant.
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Uganda: Evidentiary difficulties often arise in cases involving persecution based on sexual orientation or political opposition. In these cases, the central emphasis is on credibility; applications are rejected outright if these material details were not mentioned in the very first interview conducted upon entry to Israel, even if the current danger is entirely genuine.
Media Echoes and Enforcement Operations
The tightening of policy is not occurring in a vacuum; it is well-reflected in current Israeli press reports and field enforcement data. In the past year, hundreds of cases of entry refusal at Ben Gurion Airport were reported regarding foreign nationals suspected of intending to settle illegally or who provided contradictory versions to border control.
Investigations and press articles reveal how applications that had been pending for years are now being rejected at an accelerated rate, leading to the issuance of immediate deportation orders and actual removal.
Media coverage highlights the State’s clear trend of reducing the number of foreign nationals who are not regulated labor migrants (on B/1 visas) and emphasizes the vitality of professional legal representation. For many employers, this means their workforce could disappear overnight following a failed RSD interview or a sudden enforcement procedure.
Criminal Exposure for Employers and the Plague of Forged Documents
Growing pressure from authorities and the fear of deportation have led to the alarming flourishing of a sophisticated forgery industry among foreign nationals. Many individuals whose residency visas have been revoked or not renewed present potential employers with work permits that appear completely authentic to the untrained eye.
An employer who hires a worker based on a forged document—even if acting in apparent good faith—exposes themselves and the business to heavy administrative fines totaling tens of thousands of shekels and even criminal indictments for unlawful employment.
Therefore, the unequivocal recommendation for employers at this time is not to rely on visual inspection alone but to perform thorough due diligence for every document. It is the employer’s duty to cross-reference data with the official databases of the Population and Immigration Authority and actively verify the authenticity, type, and legal validity of the visa before employment commences.
The Professional Response of Kan-Tor & Acco
In this complex reality, where the chances of refugee recognition are minimal and enforcement is aggressive, legal accompaniment transforms from a helpful tool into an existential and business necessity.
The law firm Kan-Tor & Acco provides its clients with a unique, dual legal protection shield:
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For Employers: The firm provides document verification services, validation of employment rights, and legal opinions that protect against criminal and administrative sanctions.
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For Asylum Seekers: The firm offers meticulous professional preparation for RSD interviews, including analysis of the personal file, identification of weaknesses in old protocols, and the formulation of a robust legal narrative emphasizing the tangible danger of returning to the homeland.
Experience shows that arriving at a fateful RSD interview without prior preparation is a dangerous gamble, whereas appropriate professional legal representation is the only key to navigating the bureaucratic filter, preserving rights, and ensuring legal and safe stay and employment in Israel.
