Ukrainians under “collective protection” in Israel: what might happen after December 31, 2025

What is the legal issue

Today, approximately 23,000 Ukrainian citizens are in Israel under the so-called “collective protection from deportation”. This is not a separate law, but an administrative policy of the Ministry of Interior, based on the powers of the Minister of Interior under the Entry into Israel Law of 1952 (חוק הכניסה לישראל, תשי”ב–1952).

After the start of the full-scale war on March 8, 2022, the Israeli government announced that about 25,000 Ukrainians would receive temporary protection from repatriation and could remain in the country at least until the end of the “danger.” This is recorded in the official press release: Israel to host 25,000 Ukrainian citizens until the danger passes from 8.03.2022.

The mechanism then looked like this:

• Ukrainians who were legally in Israel or arrived after 24.02.2022 were automatically extended tourist status B/2, without the obligation to leave and without deportation being applied.

• Based on the non-enforcement policy, they were not penalized for working if 90 days had passed since entry and the person had a Ukrainian passport.

According to the ASSAF and Refugee Aid Organizations Forum report, approximately 23,000 Ukrainians in 2025 are legally in Israel under “collective protection from deportation”, precisely because the state recognizes: deporting to Ukraine is currently impossible.

The problem is that:

• the current policy is directly time-limited — until December 31, 2025 (or until the end of the war and the real possibility of safe return, if this happens earlier);

• no permanent status (asylum, residency, “blue paper”) was given to these people — they only have B/2 and an administrative ban on deportation.

If by 31.12.2025 the government does not extend collective protection, from January 1, the general regime of the Entry into Israel Law will apply:

• foreigners without a valid residence permit are considered to be without status;

• the Minister of Interior (or the government acting in his place) can issue deportation orders under §13 of the Law;

• they may be subject to detention and holding in isolation under the combined application of the Entry Law and the Infiltration Prevention Law (for some categories).

In other words, without extending the policy, Ukrainians automatically turn from a group under collective protection into ordinary foreigners “without a residence permit” under the Entry Law.

Why it happened: how decisions were made and who extended them

2.1. Basic law: “Hok ha-knisa le-Israel”

The Entry into Israel Law of 1952 regulates the entire system of visas and permits for those who are not citizens or new immigrants. It is this law that gives the Minister of Interior the right to:

• issue visas of various types, including visitor status B/2;

• extend or revoke residence permits;

• sign deportation orders.

The collective protection of Ukrainians is not prescribed in a separate article in this law — it is formalized as a ministerial policy, relying on his discretionary powers under the Entry Law.

2.2. Chronology of decisions on Ukrainians

March 2022 — first decision
The government press release on 8.03.2022 announced:

• Israel “accepts about 25,000 Ukrainian citizens,”

• they are granted temporary protection from repatriation,

• a special entry and stay regime is applied.

2022–2023 — temporary instructions of the Ministry of Interior
The Population and Immigration Authority published instructions where:

• Ukrainian citizens were extended B/2,

• restrictions on work in several cities were introduced (for example, a ban on employment in Tel Aviv and several municipalities, except for construction, agriculture, care, and hotels) based on a notice from 30.06.2022.

August 2023 — extension until January 31, 2024
The updated policy from 20.08.2023 explicitly established:

• Ukrainians are extended their stay;

• employment restrictions apply;

• the validity period of the new policy is until 31.01.2024.

January 2024 — a fundamental turnaround
On 11.01.2024, the Ministry of Interior published the document The updated policy of the Minister of the Interior on the stay of Ukrainian citizens in Israel:

• the penalty for work for Ukrainians was canceled (non-enforcement), if 90 days have passed since entry and there is a Ukrainian passport;

• it was confirmed that tourist visas B/2 for Ukrainians will be valid until 31.12.2025 or until the end of the war, whichever comes first.

November 2024 — Arbelle’s political decision
In November 2024, the Minister of Interior Moshe Arbelle decided to extend the existing rules until the end of 2025, that is, to extend collective protection from deportation and the policy of non-enforcement of employment sanctions.

He describes this as a “special type of collective protection,” in which:

• a “blue paper” (temporary residence permit, like asylum seekers) is not issued,

• but general protection from deportation applies to all Ukrainians who were legally and illegally in Israel at the time of the start of the war and entered afterward,

• the protection period is massively set by the Minister of Interior — currently until 31.12.2025.

It is this decision by Arbelle, tied to the war in Ukraine, that created the current situation: there is an end date, but no mechanism for what will happen next.

What will happen by law if protection is not extended, and what legal solutions are possible

3.1. If protection is not extended

If by December 31, 2025, no new decree is issued by the minister or government, then from a legal standpoint, the following will occur:

1. The B/2 residence permit, issued under the extended scheme, ceases to be valid.
   That is, from 1.01.2026, Ukrainians formally become foreigners in Israel without a valid residence permit under the Entry Law.

2. The non-enforcement policy (non-application of measures for work) automatically ends.
   Then formally, the general rules come into force: working without a work visa is not allowed, and the employer is obliged to check the presence of a valid status.

3. The possibility of deportation under §13 of the Entry Law opens up.
   The Minister of Interior is authorized to issue a deportation order if a person is in Israel without a residence permit.

4. Detention and holding measures may be applied.
   In combination with the Infiltration Prevention Law and practice for asylum seekers, people without status may be detained until a decision is made on their case.

In fact, this means a sharp transition from “collective protection from deportation” to the regime of “ordinary foreigner without a visa”.

3.2. What legal solutions does Israel have

Option 1 — extension of collective protection based on the Entry Law
The government or the Minister of Interior (if appointed) can:

• issue a new Ministry of Interior policy based on §2 of the Entry Law (residence permits) and the administrative practice of “collective protection from deportation”;

• extend B/2 and non-enforcement for another year or for the period until “the end of the war and the possibility of return.”

The legal basis has already been tested — this was done for Ukrainians, Sudanese, Eritreans.

Option 2 — create a separate humanitarian status through a government decree
The Cabinet can adopt a special temporary decree (הוראת שעה), tied to the Entry Law, where:

• fix a separate category for Ukrainian citizens (for example, humanitarian temporary residency);

• define rights: work, medicine, social support;

• prescribe the validity period and completion criteria.

Such temporary laws have already been applied to other groups (for example, the Citizenship and Entry Law, which was extended for years as a temporary act).

Option 3 — intervention of the Supreme Court (BAGATZ)
If the government continues to be inactive, human rights organizations can appeal to BAGATZ with a demand to:

• declare it illegal to leave 23,000 people in a legal vacuum;

• temporarily prohibit deportations of Ukrainians and oblige the state to extend protection until a full decision is made.

In cases involving Eritrean and Sudanese refugees, BAGATZ has already intervened in the practices of the Ministry of Interior, relying on international conventions on refugee status (1951, Protocol 1967).

Who and how can influence the decision — from a legal perspective

4.1. The Cabinet of Ministers and the Prime Minister

According to the Entry Law and government practice, it is the Minister of Interior who is responsible for visas and deportations, but his powers can be transferred to the government as a whole.

Currently, after Moshe Arbelle’s departure, his functions have formally transferred to the Prime Minister, but the government’s legal advisor limits Netanyahu’s ability to personally sign long-term humanitarian decisions. As a result:

• the issue of extending the status of Ukrainians should be put to a vote of the entire cabinet,

• without such a vote, collective protection effectively “spontaneously” ends.

4.2. The government’s legal advisor (היועמ״ש)

Based on the Government Law and judicial practice, היועמ״ש can:

• demand from the government urgent consideration of the issue if it concerns a mass violation of rights;

• provide a binding opinion for ministries that chaotic loss of status for tens of thousands of people, especially children, should not be allowed, and that a temporary solution is needed until a policy is developed.

4.3. The Supreme Court (BAGATZ)

Through appeals under the Entry Law, the following are possible:

• lawsuits against inaction of the Ministry of Interior and the government;

• lawsuits against mass deportations to a country recognized as unsafe;

• demands for temporary extension of status based on principles of reasonableness and proportionality.

In similar cases involving African refugees, BAGATZ has already used these tools.

4.4. Municipalities, schools, employers

Formally, they do not appear in the Entry Law, but:

• they can send official letters to the Ministry of Interior and the Prime Minister’s office, indicating that the termination of status will affect the education system, healthcare, and labor market;

• such letters become part of the administrative file and are considered when assessing the “reasonableness” of decisions if the case goes to BAGATZ.

Instead of a conclusion

The current situation with Ukrainians in Israel is not only a moral and political issue but primarily a legal deadlock created by a combination of temporary Ministry of Interior instructions and the rigid basic Entry into Israel Law.

On one hand, there is a clearly defined collective protection and visa extension until 31.12.2025. On the other hand, there is a complete lack of a long-term solution: a separate law, humanitarian status, or a mechanism for transitioning to normal residency.

If by the end of the year there is no new decree, the “default” mode of the Entry Law will operate, which knows neither the word “collective protection” nor the word “Ukraine,” but only sees foreigners without a residence permit.

The path Israel chooses — extension, new status, or strict application of the law — will be a test not only for the migration law system but also for political will. And it is precisely for this that the law, society, and the media, including “NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency,” will be watching especially closely in the coming weeks.