In 2011, there were more immigrants to Israel from the United States than Israeli emigrants heading for the United States

Fewer than 3,850 Israelis migrated to the United States in 2011, the lowest number since 2003. In 2006, the most recent year for which emigration statistics exist from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, 7,472 new immigrants arrived from the former Soviet Union, while 7,400 emigrated from Israel, mostly to Canada, the United States, and Europe. A 2008 survey by the Menachem Begin Heritage Center found that nearly 60% of Israelis had inquired about or applied for citizenship and/or a passport from a foreign country. Government statistics estimate that between 800,000 and 1 million Israelis live abroad. The Immigrant Absorption Ministry launched a campaign in 2010 promising benefits to Israelis who return to Israel, and the Finance Ministry is also trying to create incentives that would encourage Israeli expats to return.