October 14 in Jerusalem, Haim Ben Yakov, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Director General, took part in the meeting of the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs. At the meeting, Zeev Elkin, Aliyah and Absorption Minister, presented a report on the work of his Ministry.
According to the report, 27 500 new immigrants arrived in Israel in 2014. During 2015 arrival of 30 000 immigrants is expected. Until mid-October this year, 24 000 new citizens arrived in Israel, that is 16% more than in the same period last year. Overall, in two years the rate of repatriation increased by 50%.
Most immigrants comes from France, Ukraine and Russia. If the entire 2013 3500 new citizens came from France, for the first nine months of 2015 there were already 6000 people, and the expected rate of repatriation from France in 2015 is 7 500 people.
The pace of repatriation from Ukraine rose sharply: the number of immigrants expected in the current year will exceed 7000 people, which is 250% more than in 2013.
There has been a significant increase in immigration from Russia: in October 2015 over 4 500 people arrived in Israel – as many as for the whole 2014, and the expected number of immigrants from Russia is 6 300 people.
Among the "olim" (2013-2015) young people aged 20 to 44 years constitute 41%; children and adolescents up to 19 years – 27%; people aged 45-65 years – 19%; immigrants aged 66 years and older – 13%.
According to professional criteria the "olim" are distributed as follows: engineering – 12%; students – 24%; representatives of the free professions – 30%; teachers – 7%, doctors and nurses – 6%; athletes and representatives of creative professions – 3.5%, the researchers – 1%.
"Today in Israel there is an understanding that the majority of repatriates comes from free countries and they have a choice and the ability to go not only to the Jewish state. Therefore it is necessary to do everything possible to make Israel an attractive place for new citizens. This requires new approaches and relevant programs; public authorities should pay a special attention to the issues of professional absorption of repatriates" – Haim Ben Yaakov noted.