A number of major changes this year that could smooth the way things operate for years to come
According to Rabbi Nechemiah Malinowitz of the Igud, a body representing the yeshivos and seminaries to the Israeli government that successfully lobbied for entry last year, there are a number of major changes this year that could smooth the way things operate for years to come.
The approximate number of first-year yeshivah and seminary students coming into the country through the Igud, up from about 12,000 last year.
“Unlike last year, when we designed the program to let students in, and then individual institutions applied separately, this year everyone needs to go through the Igud. That accounts for the jump in numbers — now everyone from American shanah alef programs to Israeli institutions like Brisk and Belz have one pathway.”
The major change that happened this year is in the process. Whereas previously students got slips of paper at the airport declaring them tourists, which could then be changed for student visas, that first stage is now skipped.
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