An “unprecedented” increase in the number of Soviet citizens being allowed to join relatives abroad, with the largest group going to Israel, was reported yesterday in press dispatches from Moscow.
The report noted that about 1,000 Soviet Jews a year are being allowed to join relatives in Israel, representing an 80 percent increase over the numbers permitted to emigrate to Israel two years ago. Informed sources have stressed, however, that those Soviet Jews permitted to go to Israel are “only a trickle,” compared to the tens of thousands who want to emigrate to the Jewish State.
The recent sharp increase in Soviet exit visas, according to the reports, has led to family reunions in the United States, Canada, France and other countries, in addition to Israel, It was noted that emigration from the Soviet Union was still a long process, with waiting periods of two years or more from the time of application to the time a Soviet citizen is allowed to leave.
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