The Israeli Law of Return allows Jews, their children, and grandchildren to immigrate to Israel and obtain citizenship. However, when it comes to converts to Judaism, there are specific conditions that must be met for their Aliyah to be approved. The Ministry of Interior, the Jewish Agency, and the Chief Rabbinate all have a say in whether a conversion is recognized.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the most common reasons a conversion might be rejected for Aliyah.

The acceptance of Reform conversions for the purpose of making Aliyah has been a contentious issue in Israel, with ongoing legal and political battles over the status of non-Orthodox conversions. While historically, Reform and Conservative conversions performed outside of Israel have been recognized under the Law of Return, there are growing efforts to limit or revoke their acceptance. This shift is driven by political, religious, and legal factors that continue to shape Israel’s immigration policies.

For converts to Judaism seeking to make Aliyah (immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return), the process can be complex due to the Israeli government's strict criteria for accepting conversions. While there is no official public list of approved conversion rabbis, an “unofficial list” exists—a set of recognized conversion courts (Batei Din) and rabbis whose conversions are more likely to be accepted by the Israeli Ministry of Interior (Misrad HaPnim) and the Jewish Agency.

When considering converting to Judaism, particularly with the intent to make Aliyah (immigrating to Israel under the Law of Return), the question of whether to pursue a Reform or Orthodox conversion is critical. The process of conversion varies significantly between these two branches of Judaism, and the choice of denomination can have far-reaching implications, especially for those planning to live in Israel, where religious identity is often governed by the Orthodox Rabbinical authority.