The creation of a new category of Palestine immigrants applying to farmers, merchants and industrialists, who will now be required to show possession of a capital of only £500, instead of £1,000 as at present, is announced by the Palestine Government in a letter which has been received by the Jewish Agency Executive here.
This new immigrant sub-category, the Government points out, does not affect the existing classification of immigrants of the independent means category who will still have to show that they are in possession of a sum of £1,000, or in some cases, subject to certain conditions, of £500.
Under the Palestine Immigration Ordinance of 1925, it was provided that immigration certificates should be granted among others to persons belonging to the so-called category A, consisting of person of independent means, defined as including: 1. any person who is in bona fide possession and freely disposes of a capital of not less than £500, and is qualified in a profession or intends to engage in commerce or agriculture.
In the light of the experience gained in regard to the immigration of middle class persons, the Palestine Government later raised the financial qualification for the admission of persons of the independent means category (category A 1) from £500 to £1,000. For immigrants of the liberal professions (category A. 11) the sum of £500 remained unchanged. The difficulties resulting from the increase of the means qualifications in the case of persons of category A 1, have been modified to some extent, the report presented to the last Zionist Congress stated, inasmuch as, in consequence of representations made by the Jewish Agency Executive, goods, lands, etc., as well as cash belonging to the immigrant, can be taken into account as well as loans from colonisation companies recognised by the Palestine Government.
A few days ago, the Palestine High Commissioner, in an interview with ex-Deputy Farbstein, member of the Jewish Agency Executive, was reported to have expressed to him his sympathy and understanding for the middle-class settlement project in which Mr. Farbstein is specially interested.
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