The third largest economy in the Middle East is offering $3,500 and free flights to migrants from all African countries.

Israel, the third-largest economy in the Middle East, is offering $3,500 and free flights to eligible migrants from across Africa, including Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, and Ethiopia, as part of its increased efforts to encourage foreign nationals to leave the country voluntarily.

This temporary policy, which came into effect on November 9, will be in effect until December 31, 2026 and applies to African nationals who have been residing in Israel for more than two years without valid immigration status, as well as to certain holders of temporary residence permits.

According to IsraelFM, the extension of this measure also concerns Africans who entered the country legally but have exceeded the validity period of their visa, thus making thousands more people eligible for the program.

This decision follows a nearly 20% drop in departures receiving government assistance in 2025, which prompted Israeli authorities to extend this financial incentive to all African nationalities.

Why is Israel paying African migrants to leave?

Previously, Israel limited the $3,500 departure allowance primarily to citizens of Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Guinea, as well as countries not having diplomatic relations with Israel.

The situation has now changed, with the offer being extended to people from all African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, which have long maintained Christian pilgrimage links with Israel.

Under the new rules, applicants can apply online or in person, participate in interviews and obtain travel documents before receiving their free flights and $3,500 payment at the airport.

Approved applicants may also be protected from administrative immigration detention for up to two weeks before their departure, under a program that the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority says allows foreign nationals to leave the country in a "respectful and decent" manner.

This expansion follows a decline in government-assisted departures, which fell from 3,511 in 2024 to 2,815 in 2025. Israeli authorities attributed the decline to reduced resettlement opportunities in Canada, tighter US border restrictions, and air travel disruptions caused by regional conflicts.

With a GDP estimated at $747 billion in 2026, Israel is the third largest economy in the Middle East, after Turkey and Saudi Arabia, according to the International Monetary Fund. Its construction, agriculture, and healthcare sectors offer employment opportunities for foreign workers, particularly from Africa.

The latest policy, however, aims to extend departure assistance to eligible migrants from all African countries, without any equivalent extension being announced for nationals of European, Asian or American countries.

Netanyahu's initial plan to expel African migrants

This expanded program builds on a previous Israeli government policy that offered financial assistance to African asylum seekers who agreed to leave the country.

In 2018, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government offered thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers $3,500 and free flights to leave Israel, warning them that those who refused could be detained.

To defend this policy, Netanyahu stated: "The infiltrators have a simple choice: cooperate with us and leave voluntarily."

However, the plan collapsed in April 2018 following legal challenges and the failure of a proposed resettlement agreement with the United Nations. Uganda and Rwanda, initially considered as possible destinations, denied having agreements to accept migrants forcibly expelled from Israel.

This policy has been criticized by refugee organizations because of 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 Refugee and Migrant Hotline, criticized 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."