By Senior Advocate Shai Nimrodi, Kan-Tor & Acco |
The COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in early 2020, brought with it concerns and uncertainty in all aspects of life, including in the field of the mobility of experts around the world – and in Israel in particular – and the issuance of work visas for them.
The new situation created almost completely shut down the global aviation industry at first, making it very difficult for experts to move around the world, and as a result, it also made it difficult for the various companies to receive and provide their services as usual – when they were denied the opportunity to use the service of the experts.
The difficulties and limitations in the field were felt all over the world, as well as in Israel. At the same time, government ministries in Israel have begun to prepare and adapt to the new COVID-19 situation, and in this context, we praise the Population Authority, the Ministry of Health, and other relevant government ministries (including the Economics, Energy, and Transportation).
Within a short time, a clear work visa process through Corona was formulated, practically, how to apply for a work visa for foreign experts in Israel during the COVID-19. By doing this, i.e. providing clear guidelines into how to apply for the work visas for the experts, the government balanced the need to address the health and economy in Israel.
The state’s decision in August to abolish the isolation requirement for experts coming to Israel from green countries was another significant step in creating a new reality in the field, alongside the COVID-19, and encouraged international companies and Israeli companies to initiate the process (and later to complete it), and we see more and more foreign experts to Israel with a work visa.
The results were immediately visible in the market, and in recent weeks we have seen a significant increase in the number of experts coming to Israel, with government ministries themselves constantly making adjustments and positive changes to the existing outline, thus making a significant contribution to continued economic-business activity in Israel.
Our corporate clients have also been advised on how to process the work visas in the new situation, and accordingly, they are trying to slowly return to the routine of moving experts to Israel as it was in the past.
We all hope that this trend will continue, that morbidity in Israel and around the world will decrease, and thus economic-business activity in Israel can return to the days before the Corona, and thus also create more jobs for the Israeli workforce. Wishing everyone good health.
