Ask the Consul: How to Apply for an Immigrant Visa

Question: How do Israeli citizens apply for an immigrant visa in Israel?

Answer: Immigrating to the United States is an important decision that involves a complex and lengthy process.  Generally speaking, you qualify to immigrate to the United States if you are:

•          A spouse or immediate relative of an American citizen or legal permanent resident (greencard holder);

•          The fiancé/e of an American citizen;

•          Certain prospective employees of United States companies;

•          Selected through the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery program.

Immigrant visa applications for all residents of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza are processed by the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem. For further information on how to apply for an immigrant visa, please visit the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem's website, which has a complete step-by-step guide at: http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/immigrant_visas.html.

The Consulate also offers a helpful FAQ page to answer many of the most common questions about immigrant visas: http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/faq-immigrant.html.

To inquire about your case, the best way to contact the Consulate is by email at jerusalemivinquiries@state.gov. Additional contact information is available at: http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/contact_us4.html.

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Ask the Consul is a regular feature on the Consular Round Up blog. Every few weeks, one of the Embassy's Consular Officers answers an interesting consular question we've received from one of our readers. Think you can stump us? To submit a question, leave a comment, post one on our Facebook wall or send us an email at NIVTelAviv@state.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!

Meet Our Consular Agent in Haifa: Jonathan Friedland

Jonathan Friedland serves as the Consular Agent in Haifa for U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, providing U.S. citizen services to Americans in the north of Israel.

He is available to process routine passport renewals and consular reports of birth abroad. His office also provides assistance with regard to notarials, absentee voting and registration for the Selective Service.

A native New Yorker, Friedland has served as the Haifa Consular Agent for more than 25 years and enjoys the opportunity to help Americans in need.

“The best part of my job is walking into a room full of people and knowing that I can solve each and every problem,” Friedland says. 

Before moving to Haifa, Friedland lived in Jerusalem and New York where he practiced admiralty law. While he’ll always be a New Yorker, Haifa has earned a place in his heart.

“Haifa is the number one city in Israel for nature activities and yet has the advantages of a big city,” he says. “It’s a great place to raise a family, and above all, it’s the only completely mixed city in the entire Middle East— religiously, ethnically, and socially—that enjoys actual, day-to-day coexistence.”

To learn what you need to bring to his offices to receive consular services, please call or email Mr. Friedland, or visit our website to review the requirements: http://israel.usembassy.gov/service.html. You must make an appointment for passport, report of birth, and notarial services.

The Consular Agency in Haifa is open Sundays through Thursdays, and is located in the German Colony in the lower part of Haifa. Appointment hours are generally in the morning. The Consular Agency’s role is limited to assisting American citizens.  It does not provide visa services and cannot answer questions about visa processing or law.

Contact Information:

26 Ben Gurion Blvd.

Haifa 35023

Tel: 04-853-1470

Fax: 04-853-1476

E-mail: consage@netvision.net.il

Planning to Work Temporarily in the United States? Know Your Rights!

Do you have a visa to work temporarily in the United States? We are confident that you will have an interesting and rewarding stay. However, if you should encounter any problems, know your rights.

The pamphlet linked below informs you of your rights as a nonimmigrant visa holder for certain employment and designated exchange program visas (specifically A-3, G-5, NATO-7, B-1 domestic employees, H-1B, H-1B1, H-2A, H-2B, and J-1). 

As a worker in the United States, you have the right to:

•  Be treated and paid fairly;

•  Not be held in a job against your will;

•  Keep your passport and other identification documents in your possession;

•  Report abuse without retaliation;

•  Request help from unions, immigrant and labor rights groups and other groups;

•  Seek justice in U.S. courts.

Remember: There Are Ways to Protect Yourself

•  Keep your passport in a safe, easily accessible place at all times;

•  Keep copies of your passport, visa, and employment contract in your home country with relatives or friends;

•  Always have the phone number of your home country's embassy;

•  Keep this pamphlet handy so that you can refer to it once you are in the United States;

•  Keep a record of all the days and hours that you work, and the amount and date of each payment that you receive; and

•  Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 (24 hours) or the Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force Complaint Line at 1-888-428-7581 (weekdays 9am-5pm Eastern Standard Time) if you need help.

These rights are explained in full in a pamphlet available online issued by the U.S. Government to honor the rule of law and uphold the dignity of all who come to the United States to work.

The U.S. Government created this pamphlet at the prompting of a new U.S. law, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (Public Law 110-457), which reaffirms and strengthens the U.S. Government’s commitment to fight human trafficking and labor abuses in all their forms.

Download the pamphlet at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/pamphlet/pamphlet_4578.html.

Ask the Consul: ESTA Denials for Visa Waiver Program Travelers

Question: I have a foreign passport that qualifies me to travel in the Visa Waiver Program, but my ESTA application denied. Why was it denied, and what do I do now?

Answer: Thanks for your question. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is an automated system created by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

If your ESTA application is denied and you wish to continue with your trip, you should apply for a non-immigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. For more about visa application procedures at U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, visit our website: http://israel.usembassy.gov/visas.html.

Please note that Embassies and Consulates are not able to provide information about ESTA denials or resolve the issue that caused the ESTA denial. Embassies and Consulates are only able to process an application for a non-immigrant visa, which, if approved, will be the only way that a traveler whose ESTA application has been denied will be authorized to visit the United States.

DHS carefully reviews all ESTA applications to ensure that only people who are ineligible for the VWP will be refused via ESTA. To inquire about your denial, you may contact the DHS Travel Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP), at the following link: www.dhs.gov/trip.

For a comprehensive overview of all the requirements for participation in the Visa Waiver Program, please visit the Department of Homeland Security FAQ page at http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1212501117599.shtm.

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Ask the Consul is a regular feature on the Consular Round Up blog. Every few weeks, one of the Embassy's Consular Officers answers an interesting consular question we've received from one of our readers. Think you can stump us? To submit a question, leave a comment, post one on our Facebook wall or send us an email at NIVTelAviv@state.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!