Israel expects up to 20,000 new immigrants in 2026
Israel expects the arrival of between 18,000 and 20,000 immigrants in 2026, said Dganit Sanker-Lang, director general of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. According to the Jerusalem Post, she said interest in relocating is growing among Jews from France, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia.
Sanker-Lang said that by the end of the year, the country could receive about 5,000 immigrants from France — a figure that, she said, has not been seen for many years. She named the high cost of living and the security situation in Israel as the two main barriers for potential immigrants. At the same time, the official believes that the situation in Jewish communities abroad could affect aliyah dynamics over the next one to three years.
Education and employment
The ministry is working to expand English-language programs at Israeli higher education institutions. According to Sanker-Lang, around 5,000 immigrant students are studying in Israel at the same time. English-language programs operate, in particular, at Reichman University, the Technion, Ben-Gurion University and Ariel University.
The ministry also plans to attract researchers, teachers and medical professionals to the country. The Or and Bereshit programs, created in cooperation with Professor Dan Shechtman, offer selected researchers academic positions and grants of up to approximately 1.5 million shekels, and in certain cases up to 1.7 million shekels for three to five years.
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More than 1,000 doctors have immigrated to Israel over the past two years, Sanker-Lang said. A joint initiative of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Ministry of Education and Nefesh B’Nefesh is intended to attract Jewish teachers from abroad, primarily English-language and science teachers. The initiative aims to ensure that teachers know about their employment, school and municipality of residence before relocating.
Return of Israelis from abroad
The return of Israelis living outside the country remains a separate challenge. Estimates indicate that around one million Israelis are abroad, including children born abroad to families of Israeli citizens. According to the Knesset Research and Information Center, 4,483 Israelis returned to the country in 2025, 58% fewer than the 10,903 recorded in 2009. In 2024, there were 3,793 such people.
The government also approved a plan to create a support system for immigrant soldiers, reservists and their families involving the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.
