Updates on the current situation from TAU international office (Last updates November 2023)

 An email was sent on the 02.11.23 by Zoe, the TAU international office liaison regarding the updates on the situation. 

Here we report her email with some notes we could add because of the word-of-mouth information or the ideas we got.

We encourage all of you to add up your questions and reach out to us for any inquiry, by filling this form (a new page opens up).

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Visa

As some of you already know, The Population and Immigration Authority has announced that valid foreign visas (excluding B1 work visas), that were supposed to expire in the next three months have been automatically extended until February 2, 2024.

However, please note the following:

• This extension does not include the multiple-entry permit. 
• If you are currently abroad, your visa has not been extended automatically

• If you are abroad, and your visa will expire before you return to Israel, you can contact the local Israeli embassy and inquire with them whether you can get a new visa (however, keep in mind that some embassies are currently not providing consular services).

• We know that many of you are concerned about getting the re-entry permit, so that you can leave and return with ease. We are trying to work on a solution for this with the Ministry of Interior, and we will keep you updated if we have any news on this.

If you need to get a B1 Visa extended, please email Tamar at intl@tauex.tau.ac.il

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Tamar.

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Ulterior comments on this paragraph

We found some websites that are constantly updated with information about traveling in Israel, Visa situation etc.

Feel free to check on them:

Website 1) https://www.fragomen.com/trending/guidance-israel-palestinian-territories.html

Website 2) https://aic.org.il/israel-at-war-official-information-about-visa-status/

According to the information of the Website 2), we need to stress that:

• Many offices are not operating and they work only with an appointment. For the TAU researchers, the appointment must be booked through TAU international Visa Office.
• The owners of the Visa that were automatically extended received an SMS from the Ministry of the Interior that looks like this 

רשות האוכלוסין וההגירה:

שלום NAME+LAST NAME,

עקב המצב הבטחוני בישראל, רשות האוכלוסין וההגירה האריכה את האשרה שבידך באופן ממוחשב עד לתאריך:  08/02/2024.

בתום תוקף האשרה יש לפעול להסדרת הנושא.

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Housing

We know you have many questions regarding the issue of housing and payments, especially if you were not able to arrive in Israel or temporarily left. The university is aware of the difficulties and is exploring different options, we will share the policy with you as soon as we can.

If however, you have already decided to end the contract and check out from the apartment, please contact @Housing TAU and we will send you the early departure form.

Please note that currently, the only option to stop paying for the apartment is if we can find a suitable replacement who will take your dorm spot. Due to the war situation, this might take longer. If you choose to depart, you will need to make sure the apartment is clear of any belongings. If you are not in Israel, you can ask one of your friends or relatives to take them out for you, since the dorm management do not provide this service.

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Ulterior comments on this paragraph

We tried to discuss of an option for the people who have left the country at the start of the war and that now are considering relocating and moving out of the apartments in Broshim. Unfortunately, TAU is not allowed by law to handle your personal belongings, but we are trying to set up a protocol for which the person who wants to leave the apartment delegates a trustworthy "caretaker" who can help evacuating the apartment.

1) we asked for the possibility to have a temporary stock room for the luggage/personal belonging of the people leaving the apartment without being here. TAU representatives said this is not considered legal and they cannot implement it.

2) we asked TAU to be available to coordinate the process to send out the personal belongings of the people who are leaving the dorms without being in Israel. This proposal was considered. Possibly, we will find a way to deliver back your items without stocking them, but directly sending them out via postal mail. It's a work in progress.

People from the Hebrew speaking groups are monitoring constantly the situation by interacting with the Broshim/Einstein company. For now, the plain answer is that they are waiting for a compromise with the University, meaning that there aren't different answers other than the one reported by TAU.

Meanwhile, someone started a petition to obtain a freezing of the rent of November for ALL of the Broshim tenants, not only for the ones employed in the army. Check this out for more info.

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Insurance

For those of you who are in Israel, you need to make sure you are covered by health insurance throughout your stay.

For those of you who are not in Israel, and ordered insurance in advance- there is no option to "freeze" the insurance without payment, but you are able to cancel the policy in the meantime, and then re-issue a new one for when you have new travel plans to arrive to Tel Aviv.

You should reach out to the company you purchased your insurance from, and ask to cancel since you did not arrive, and you should receive any fees paid back.

It is very important to re-issue a policy prior to arriving at Tel Aviv.

Please note: since all policies exclude existing conditions, if you decide to change the insurance start date to a later date, any health condition that happened prior to the new date will be considered "pre-existing", and not be covered.

Regarding coverage for any injury that might happen due to the war - please note that there is no need for any additional coverage by your health insurance policy, this is a coverage provided by the state of Israel.

Scholarships

If you encounter any scholarship-related issues, whether you are in Israel or elsewhere, please reach out to me for assistance.

If you require an international transfer, contact me for further instructions.

Best Regards, 
Zoe

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Ulterior comments on this paragraph(scholarships)

Other than referring to Zoe, you are always welcome to check you rights and financial situation with SEGEL

If you need to reach out, you can check the CONTACT webpage, where you are provided with different channels. Additionally, you can write directly to gizbar@segel.org.il or segel@segel.org.il. Up to date, these two addresses are the most active ones.

As reported before, TAU has granted the scholarship to all of its researchers for the next two months, regardless of their status, given the war conditions. If any advisor tells his/her research students or post docs that they will not receive a scholarship if they do not return to Israel, they are actually out of line.

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UPDATE 06.11.23 

A new email has been sent to all of the Researchers about the current situation for some scholarships, which did not come through by the start of the month. Here we report it.

Dear all, 

Attached, you will find a list of available shelters both on campus and within the dormitories. 

Additionally, I would like to address the scholarship payment delay issue. Some researchers have not yet received their scholarships as of November 1st. If you are one of those affected, it's possible that a delay in fund distribution may be the cause.

The scholarships are expected to be disbursed on November 15th. *This is not related to researchers that require an international transfer.

For further information regarding this matter, please contact your faculty's secretariat.

You can find a list of contacts at this link: https://acad-sec.tau.ac.il/PhD-Degree