Aliyah from within Israel: Guided Aliyah

Nefesh B’Nefesh’s Guided Aliyah program enables US and Canadian citizens, currently residing in Israel, the opportunity to make Aliyah through the Population and Immigration Authority (Reshut HaOchlusin V’Hahagira), while receiving the full array of Nefesh B’Nefesh services. This includes assisted government processing, financial aid, and post-Aliyah assistance. The Guided Aliyah application allows you to complete your citizenship paperwork from the comfort of your home. Following the receipt of your application, Nefesh B’Nefesh facilitates the processing of your Aliyah documents to ensure a hassle-free Aliyah.

Guided Aliyah Timeline

1. Applications must be submitted by the beginning of the month in order to complete processing on time.

2. After you submit your completed application, your file will be submitted to the Population and Immigration Authority for approval

3. Once your file has been approved, Nefesh B’Nefesh arranges a time you will be called into the Population and Immigration Authority office to complete your Aliyah on that day.

Your Aliyah Day

Nefesh B’Nefesh staff are present at this meeting at the Population and Immigration Authority office to assist you. We ask that you make every effort to attend this meeting as scheduled as a courtesy to all of the Olim completing their Aliyah on that day.

Please ensure that all family members, who are making Aliyah, are present at this time.

You will need to bring all of your original documents with you to the meeting. The Population and Immigration Authority will ask that you provide them, along with your foreign passport (US or Canadian), in order to process the Aliyah visa that will be affixed inside.

At this meeting, you will receive your Teudat Zehut (Israeli ID card) and you will be able to consult our Post-Aliyah and IDF advisors.

Eligibility for Guided Aliyah

Before applying for Guided Aliyah, please read the following guidelines to confirm that you are eligible to participate in the program

  • Applicants must be citizens of the United States or Canada and hold valid passports from one of these two countries.

The Population and Immigration Authority guidelines dictate that your Aliyah CAN NOT be processed through the Guided Aliyah program if you fit into one of the following categories:

  • Hold an Israeli passport or were born abroad to an Israeli parent. Anyone born to an Israeli parent abroad who is unregistered (was never issued an Israeli passport) can call for guidance and processing
  • Hold a birth certificate from the former Soviet Union or Eastern Bloc after January 1, 1990. Holders of former USSR and Eastern Bloc birth certificates, after January 1, 1990, must begin the process at Nativ by submitting their documents to them and awaiting approval. Upon approval, NBN can assist with guidance and final processing
  • Renounced your Israeli citizenship (unless done as a minor)
  • Previously have been convicted of a crime

If you are not eligible for the Guided Aliyah Program, you can still apply for Nefesh B’Nefesh financial assistance and services. However, you will need to complete the Aliyah process directly through the Population and Immigration Authority. Please feel free to contact us for guidance

  • If you converted to Judaism in North America: The Population and Immigration Authority’s policy requires residence in the community in which you converted for a period of at least one year post-conversion, before being eligible to make Aliyah
  • If you are applying for Aliyah with a newborn child, recently born in Israel (who was not registered as an Israeli citizen at the time of their birth), you will have to have a US or Canadian passport as well as an Israeli birth certificate issued for that child before submitting your application
  • If your spouse is an Israeli citizen, and you have children born abroad, we will help clarify whether or not your children are considered Israeli citizens and determine if they are eligible to participate in the Guided Aliyah program.

Note for individuals over the age of 65

If you make Aliyah through the Guided Aliyah program, you will not have Israeli medical insurance during the time between your arrival in Israel and receiving approval for your Aliyah. Private insurance companies in Israel generally do not accept individuals over the age of 65 or people with pre-existing medical conditions. It is important to verify whether you can arrange to continue your foreign medical insurance during this period. If not, it is recommended that you complete the Aliyah process from overseas (rather than through the Guided Aliyah program after you arrive in Israel).

* Last updated on April 10, 2025 *

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