For information on this subject, please consult the attached letter dated 4 March 1996, which was sent to the DIRB by the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ottawa.

In a 5 March 1996 telephone interview, an official of the Israeli embassy in Ottawa stated that in addition to completing the visitor's visa application form and submitting it with the necessary documents to the Israeli embassy in Nigeria, the applicant must also show the appropriate Israeli embassy official his/her return ticket from Israel. The applicant will also be asked whether s/he has sufficient financial means for the length of his/her stay in Israel. The official stated, however, that the applicant will not be requested to provide the Israeli embassy official with a copy of his/her bank statement or any other documentation attesting to his/her financial means (ibid.).

Please find attached a copy of a visitor's visa application form, which was faxed to the DIRB on 11 March 1996 by the Israeli embassy in Ottawa.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Embassy of the State of Israel, Ottawa. 5 March 1996. Telephone interview with an official

Embassy of the State of Israel, Ottawa. 11 March 1996. Copy of a visitor's visa application form faxed to the DIRB.

_____. 4 March 1996. Letter faxed to the DIRB.