R is a resident of the Palestinian Authority, married for over 20 years to an Israeli citizen. They have two young children who are Israeli citizens. Due to the law restricting Palestinians' ability to obtain legal status in Israel, the resident had always received only a permit allowing him to stay in Israel, and this was renewed annually over a period 14 years.
Following an amendment to the law in 2022, R could apply for an “upgrade” to his status due to his age, and receive an Israeli identity card and temporary residency (A/5 visa). After submitting such a request, the couple was invited to their first interview in 14 years at the Ministry of Interior in Tel Aviv. The couple, who were not represented by a lawyer at that time, were confused and emotional during the interview. Following the interview, the Ministry of Interior not only decided not to upgrade the resident's legal status, but also to revoke his staying permit and deport him from the country!
The couple, shocked and extremely concerned about the decision, turned to our office. We quickly filed an appeal to the appeals court in Tel Aviv and first and foremost temporarily returned R his permit for the duration of the appeal process. During the court hearing, Attorney Michal Luft argued that it was entirely unreasonable to close a family unification case after such a long period, based on a single interview. This was especially true considering that R had been living in Israel for twenty years and was a father to Israeli children. The court was persuaded by Attorney Luft's arguments and instructed the Ministry of Interior to reexamine their decision and conduct at least one more interview before issuing a new decision.
After the appeal, and as instructed by the court, another interview was conducted with the couple, following which the request to upgrade R status was approved, and he finally received an Israeli identity card.
Thanks to the couple's decision to work with a lawyer that has specialty in the field and specific experience in family unification cases and appeals court, R managed to change his fate and receive what he deserved – a stable life in Israel with his spuse and children.