Congress prompts review of high visa rejection rate for Israelis

Secretary of State John Kerry has ordered a review of the surging visa rejection rate for young Israelis following a backlash from Jewish members of Congress, according to a letter obtained by Al-Monitor.

In the letter sent April 17 to Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., the State Department's assistant secretary for legislative affairs wrote that Kerry "shares" lawmakers' concerns. The secretary, it says, "has directed the Department to take a range of immediate actions to ensure that, consistent with U.S. immigration law, we make every effort to maximize the number of young Israelis able to travel to the United States."

"The Secretary has directed us to address these matters quickly and comprehensively," reads the letter from Julia Frifield. "The Department can and will do more to encourage and assist qualified Israelis to visit the United States."

The review follows a doubling of the rejection rate — from 16% to 32% — for tourist visas for Israelis between the ages of 21 and 26 from 2009 to 2013. The State Department says it has observed "increased rates of overstays and illegal employment," particularly for young Israelis who visit the country between the completion of their military service and the resumption of their college studies, but insists that the "perception by some that young Israelis are unwelcome" in the United States is flat wrong.