Work Permit to employ a Foreign National Expert in Israel

work permit for foreign expert in Israel

Immigration is probably one of Israel’s biggest challenges for the next decade. As the position of Israel on the international stage is becoming more and more central, its attractiveness to workers is growing.

The Israeli government made the choice to establish a strict set of regulations in order to control entry and residence of migrant workers in Israel.

Those Israeli companies wishing to employ foreign employees in Israel must apply for a B-1 work permit. In the specific case of a foreign expert, the conditions that need to be fulfilled are multiple.

Our law firm has gained experience in the very specific field of applications for work permit. Recently, they applied for a work permit for an Israeli telemarketing company who sells services to clients in France via phone communications. The company filed an application to bring a sales and business expert from France. This case is a perfect illustration of the need for legal assistance when requesting a work permit for a foreign national expert in Israel.

Who is a foreign national expert?

Israeli law distinguishes at least eight types of foreign expert workers that are eligible for a work permit in Israel. The main idea is that the service provided by the employee shall be unavailable in Israel, hence the need to bring foreign national expert in the country.

Foreign expert with “expert wages” which is twice the average Israeli salary: the law refers to a “foreign national with a high level of expertise or an essential and unique knowledge”.
Manager, senior representative or trusted employee of a foreign or international company
Senior member of staff in a foreign airline or shipping company
Lecturer or researcher in an institute of higher education
Medical intern or expert at a hospital
Foreign artist
Foreign national performing a temporary task for a short period
Foreign expert from a country whose citizens are exempt from a tourist visa

How to apply for work permit for foreign expert in Israel?

The application for a work visa needs to be submitted by the employer. All kinds of documents shall be added to support the request, such as the proof of the employee’s higher academic education or special competences, the employment agreement and recommendation letters.

In the case of the French worker’s application, the demonstration of the employee’s special abilities and its high value to the company has been established by our law firm, and the application went through all the administrative process to finally be admitted by the local authority.

Employment of foreign worker without academic education

If the applicant is requesting to employ foreign expert for a work in a field that does not require higher academic education, the issue of the work permit can be conditioned upon other multiples requirements. These additional requirements include financial criteria, such as the deposit of a certain amount, in order to ensure the payment of the foreign worker’s wage, or a proof of the applicant’s economic welfare and the ability to ensure the payment of the employee’s salary.

How long is a foreign worker’s visa valid for?

While the approval of the application is made at the sole discretion of the committee, the length of the work visa is defined by law. Most of the time, the period of validity is up until five years in total, but each year the visa must be approved.

In some cases, there is also a limitation in terms of number of issued visas: permits issued for medical intern or expert at a hospital are limited to 50 per year, while for foreign national expert performing a temporary task only 300 visas can be issued at any given time.

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Are you planning to work in Israel and are eligible to a foreign national expert work permit? Our law firm who specialize in immigration to Israel will happily assist you with legal advice and information regarding application to the Population and Immigration Authority.