A Jewish man, who arrived in Israel in 2009 to join his mother and brother who were already living here, has been denied immigrant status, apparently because of his psychiatric history. The Interior Ministry's Population and Immigration Administration has rejected the application of the man, although it did not provide any formal explanation for the decision, which is now being challenged in the High Court of Justice.

The man, who suffers from psychiatric problems, applied for immigrant status and citizenship under the Law of Return which, subject to narrow exceptions, allows any Jew as well as members of the extended family of Jews to acquire Israeli citizenship and immigrate to the country. His application was rejected despite a psychiatric opinion that he did not pose a danger to those around him and that he was capable of working and would not pose a burden on society.

Open gallery view Immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Credit: Daniel Bar-On

The applicant, who is being publicly identified only as K., entered the country on a tourist visa and has spent the past four months at the Tirat Hacarmel Mental Health Center, despite the fact that his condition does not require it, simply to be able to get medication that he is unable to pay for himself. Two weeks ago, the Public Defender's Office of the Justice Ministry petitioned the High Court of Justice for an order requiring the Interior Ministry to grant K. an immigrant visa and Israeli citizenship pursuant to the Law of Return, which would also provide him with medical coverage.

K., 39, is the son of two Jewish parents and his mother is an Israeli citizen. He arrived in Israel in 2009, joining his mother and brother, who had come here in the 1990s. On arrival he applied for immigrant status, which was denied without explanation. This year, he applied for a visa that would allow him to work here until an additional application for citizenship could be processed, but the visa request was rejected. Although K. has not received written confirmation of the reason that he has not gotten Israeli citizenship, on one occasion he was verbally informed that his request was being held up due to his psychiatric background.

For its part, the Interior Ministry said in response: "This involves a complex and complicated case that cannot be debated on the pages of the newspaper, and since it is currently before the High Court of Justice, our full response will be provided in court."

The Law of Return only allows a Jewish applicant to be denied citizenship if he would pose a danger to the public welfare or public health or due to a criminal record, yet K. submitted a psychiatric opinion stating that he did not present a danger to the public. "The law is designed to provide a safe haven to any Jews and particularly to Jews in distress, " said Amnon Givoni who is in charge of personal status cases for the Haifa district office of the Public Defender's Office.

K.'s brother had the prospective immigrant admitted to the Tirat Hacarmel facility in September after his condition deteriorated because he was not being properly medicated. He has been getting the medicine he needs there and his condition has improved.