New Bill: PIBA Seeks Authority to Spy On, and Collect Private Information of International Couples
Yesterday morning (Monday), in the midst of the Jewish holiday season, the government quietly published a new draft law: yet another proposed amendment to the Entry Into Israel Law.
This new bill seeks to do one thing: grant sweeping surveillance and investigatory powers to the inspectors of the Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) over couples applying for legal status based on their relationship.
PIBA argue that the current tools available to them – interviews, paperwork checks, phone calls, references – are “insufficient” to uncover fictitious relationships. In their view, because the gradual process eventually leads to permanent residence or even citizenship, the “mother of all statuses,” the state needs even stronger powers to examine whether couples’ relationships are “genuine.”
You can help stop this! Scroll down to learn what you can do.
What Does the Bill Say?
Under the bill, PIBA’s existing enforcement unit inspectors would be granted expanded authority over international couples who have submitted applications for status based on their relationship.
While the enforcement unit currently has authority only over undocumented or illegal residents, the bill would extend these powers to Israeli citizens and their foreign partners, granting inspectors the following authorities:
- Section 1(a) – ID checks: Inspectors could require anyone “connected to an application” to produce ID.
- Section 1(b) – Digital data & third parties: Inspectors may approach neighbors, employers, or any other person for information about the couple — and, critically, demand access to the couple’s phones and computers. PIBA writes: “The demand for information and documents also includes a demand to present information and documents from a mobile phone or computer… The inspector is authorized to photograph these documents… A refusal to present the relevant information will be taken into account.”
- Section 1(c) – Entering the home: With a judicial warrant, inspectors could enter the couple’s home to “verify that the couple is living at the address they provided.” Even if others live there. PIBA makes it explicit: refusal to comply “may result in the rejection of the application.”
- Section 1(d) – Surveillance near home/work: Inspectors could spy on couples in public spaces near their homes and workplaces to verify their statements.
- Section 1(e) – Extended surveillance: Inspectors could request court approval for surveillance in additional public places, for up to 90 days.
- Section 2 – Reporting obligations: Couples must report any change in their situation (such as moving apartments) within 7 days. Missing the deadline will “be taken into account” when deciding the case.
In short, this bill equips PIBA with the powers of a police force – but without the safeguards usually applied to criminal investigations.
Click here to download the full bill (Hebrew)
The Potential Harm to International Couples
At first glance, PIBA frames these powers as being used only in “suspicious” cases. But here lies the danger: the bill does not define what suspicion means, when these extreme measures will be taken, nor does it set any criteria or safeguards for when these invasive powers can be used.
In practice, this means that any couple could suddenly find themselves under surveillance, based solely on a whim of a single clerk. A simple age gap, an unpopular country of origin, or even the couple’s life choices, could be enough to trigger enforcement measures.
The authority that PIBA is asking for includes tools normally reserved for the criminal justice system – surveillance, entry into private homes, and digital data collection – yet couples would have none of the protections afforded in criminal law, as the gradual process is not overseen by the same laws. This makes the powers not only invasive but extreme in scope and risk.
The message is chilling: couples may be forced to choose between protecting their privacy and securing their legal right to live together.
Could It Be a Good Thing?
Some may think: perhaps this is helpful — proof beyond an interview that our love is real.
But that’s a false promise. The bill does not fix the fundamental problem: PIBA still retains full discretion to deny applications based on a single interview or the opinion of one clerk.
Instead of protecting couples, this law only expands PIBA’s uncontrolled authority. It normalizes surveillance, opens the door to invasive data collection, and places couples in a permanent state of scrutiny – with no added guarantees of fairness or transparency.
What Is Happening? Why So Many Laws?
If you feel overwhelmed by the legislative chaos, you are not wrong.
This is already the third bill in recent months directly targeting international couples. The previous proposals – Rothman’s proposed Basic Law and another proposed amendment to the Entry Into Israel Law – remain on the table, waiting for the Knesset’s winter session. This extreme government is moving quickly, across many areas, to push through the most draconian and undemocratic laws possible while it still can.
Without AIC, you might not have heard about these initiatives until after they passed and had a direct effect on your own personal process. But this does not mean the threat can be ignored. AIC is here to monitor, expose, and fight against every potential threat to international couples. No other organization is stepping in to do this work for us.
How Can We Stop This?
The good news: this bill is still in its earliest stage. It has only been published for public comments, which remain open until October 20th.
AIC has submitted a detailed legal paper, exposing the flaws and dangers of this proposal. But it’s also vital that you, the community of international couples, make your voices heard.
Anyone can submit a personal comment online. Your voice matters — share your story, describe your experience, and explain in your own words how this law could impact your family’s life. Highlight the challenges you already face under the current system and show how this bill would make things even more difficult. Personal testimonies are powerful: they help lawmakers and the public understand the real, human consequences of these proposed changes.
The public comments phase finished on October 20th.
Click here to read the comments that were submitted by other international couples
If you believe in this fight, help us keep going – become a monthly donor to AIC today. Exposing PIBA’s legislation attempts, writing legal opinions, and building coalitions takes time and work. We can’t sustain this fight without your support. Every shekel counts.
