The temporary policy, which took effect on November 9, will run until December 31, 2026, and applies to African nationals who have lived in Israel for more than two years without valid immigration status, as well as certain holders of temporary residence permits.
According to IsraelFM, the expansion also covers Africans who entered the country legally but overstayed their visas, making thousands more eligible for the programme.
The decision follows a nearly 20% decline in government-assisted departures in 2025, prompting Israeli authorities to extend the financial incentive to all African nationalities.
Why Israel is paying African migrants to leave
Previously, Israel limited the $3,500 departure grant mainly to citizens of Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Guinea, as well as countries without diplomatic relations with Israel.
That has now changed, with the offer extended to people from all African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, which have longstanding Christian pilgrimage links with Israel.
Under the new rules, applicants can apply online or in person, attend interviews and obtain travel documents before receiving free flights and the $3,500 payment at the airport.
Approved applicants may also receive protection from immigration detention for up to two weeks before departure under a programme Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority says allows foreign nationals to leave in a “respectful and decent manner”.
The expansion follows a decline in government-assisted departures, from 3,511 in 2024 to 2,815 in 2025. Israeli authorities attributed the drop to fewer resettlement opportunities in Canada, tighter US border restrictions and flight disruptions caused by regional conflicts.
With an estimated GDP of $747 billion in 2026, Israel is the Middle East’s third-largest economy behind Turkey and Saudi Arabia, according to the International Monetary Fund. Its construction, agriculture and healthcare sectors provide employment opportunities for foreign workers, including Africans.
The latest policy, however, focuses on expanding departure assistance to eligible migrants from all African countries, with no equivalent expansion announced for nationals of European, Asian or American countries.
Netanyahu’s earlier plan to remove African migrants
The expanded programme builds on an earlier Israeli government policy that offered financial assistance to African asylum seekers who agreed to leave the country.
Defending the policy, Netanyahu said, “The infiltrators have a simple choice — to cooperate with us and leave voluntarily.”
However, the plan collapsed in April 2018 amid legal challenges and the breakdown of a proposed resettlement agreement with the United Nations. Uganda and Rwanda, which had been identified as possible destinations, denied having agreements to receive migrants forcibly removed from Israel.
The policy faced criticism from refugee organisations over its impact on African asylum seekers, many of whom had fled conflict and political persecution in their home countries.
Sigal Rozen, public policy coordinator at the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, criticised the government’s handling of asylum applications, telling The Times of Israel: “They want to make life as difficult as possible, so that people give up and leave.”