An Israeli citizen and a Sri Lankan national married in Sri Lanka in 2013 and have lived together ever since. The spouse entered Israel as a nursing care worker and holds a B/1 residency visa. Their request to regulate the spouse's status in Israel by virtue of their marriage through the gradual process was rejected by the Ministry of Interior, claiming that the sincerity of the relationship had not been proven. According to the Ministry of Interior, discrepancies were found in interviews conducted with the couple regarding daily matters such as rent, work hours, and household chores and "classic indicators" of a relationship, such as shared leisure activities and hobbies, were not proven.
The Court held that the couple meets the condition of the sincerity of the relationship and that the Ministry of Interior must proceed with the gradual process. A foreign national married to an Israeli citizen is entitled to receive Israeli citizenship through naturalization via a gradual process, subject to the broad discretion of the Minister of Interior and a comprehensive examination of the sincerity of the marital relationship and the center of life in Israel. The law is intended to protect the Israeli citizen's right to family life, while examining the sincerity of the relationship to prevent abuse. The authority must demonstrate openness to a wide variety of human connections. A deviation of a marital relationship from the "classic" format, from what is considered "standard" and "acceptable" in marital life, does not in itself indicate that the bond between a couple is not a sincere or genuine relationship. Here, the couple has been actually living together under the same roof for over a decade. The discrepancies found are not material and stem from language gaps and the spouse's cognitive difficulties. Their lack of leisure activities, free time, and social connections stems from their life constraints. Therefore, the couple meets the sincerity of relationship requirement, and the gradual process should continue.