JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel has approved new residency criteria that could result in the deportations of hundreds of children of migrant workers, including Filipinos.

The decision by Israel’s Cabinet represented a small step by Israel to clear up the status of thousands of foreign workers in Israel.

Under the decision, children of migrants whose parents entered Israel legally may remain if they are enrolled in school, speak Hebrew and have been here longer than five years.

An Israeli advocacy group, the Hotline for Migrant Workers, estimates 700 of 1,200 school-age children are at risk of deportation, along with their parents. About 200,000 migrant workers live in Israel, mostly from the Philippines, China and Africa.

About half have overstayed their visas, thousands for many years. Many have children who were born in Israel and know no other home.