The first three months of 2014 saw a 14 percent increase in the number of new immigrants to Israel compared to the same period of 2013, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported. According to CBS data, 3,623 new immigrants arrived in Israel from January to March 2014, compared to 3,177 in the same period the previous year. January 2014 alone saw 1,220 new immigrants land in Israel, while 1,340 arrived in February. These numbers can be extrapolated to a total of 19,000 new immigrants for 2014, compared to 16,882 in 2013 -- an increase of 19%. The CBS numbers showed that approximately one-third of the newcomers entered Israel on tourist visas and after staying a few weeks or months changed their status to that of a new immigrant. Other new arrivals come to Israel under the Law of Return, despite not being registered as Jews by the Interior Ministry. However, according to the CBS, immigration under the Law of Return has dropped significantly in recent years. The biggest number of new immigrants in January-February 2014 came from Russia (899), followed by France (802) and the United States (203). The CBS also noted that the first quarter saw smaller groups of immigrants from other countries, including Ethiopia (79); Britain (55); Brazil (55); Hungary (35); Belgium (34); Canada (23); South Africa (22) and Switzerland (13).
