B-1 Work Visa

The Ministry of Interior has issued in 2017 the Procedure for Employment of Foreign Workers in Unique Technologies and Mechanization which do not exist in Israel. This does not include expert employees paid at expert rates.

This procedure is designated for mega projects in the field of infrastructure such as ports, trains and power plants, in cases where the work can only be performed by foreign workers possessing unique knowledge and expertise in the field.

Under this procedure, a company can receive group permits for hundreds of foreign experts, and pay their salaries according to collective agreement in this field. This is as opposed to a regular work permit for one individual expert, in which case the salary must be the double the average salary in Israel (currently 20,856 NIS). In addition, the permit will be obtained for the entire duration of the project, unlike experts that receive permits for 1 year which need to be extended annually, based on the MOI’s discretion.

According to the procedure, a company that is interested in employing foreign workers in a project involving unique technologies and mechanization and which can only be performed by foreign parties, is required to submit a written application, at least 6 month before the project’s commencement day.

If the project is carried out by virtue of a National Infrastructure Plan (NAV) or by a government decision, it must be mentioned in the application.

This application is very challenging and will need to include a detailed project description, the relevant contracts between the Israeli and foreign company for the work in Israel and confirmation of the expected employment of a local Israeli workforce. The applications will also need to emphasize the expertise, qualifications, skills and knowledge of the applicants.

The processing time is six months, as the application will be reviewed by a special inter-committee for Special Projects that include 3 Ministries: Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labor, and Ministry of Construction and Housing.

The company is obligated to provide the following:

• Written employment contract
• Health insurance
• Proper housing
• The salary should be paid to a local bank account
• Deposit NIS 15,000 of bank guarantee for each employee.
• Provide the name of an Israeli citizen with proven experience and skills in the field of human resources management that will be approved by the work permit unit and that will be monitoring the company activity.

To be allowed to work legally, Foreign Journalists can enter Israel as tourist and apply for a B-1 work visa at the Ministry of Interior, followed by submission of an application for Temporary Journalist Card from the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO).

Process description:

1.      The foreign national journalist should first arrive to Israel and receive visitor permit (B-2 visa) for 3 months.

2.      Following the entry into Israel, the Journalist will need to apply at the Ministry of Interior for a B-1 work visa as a journalist. Processing time is estimated to be up to 10 work days from submission date.

3.      With the Work Permit in hand, the News Agency should submit an application to the GPO requesting to obtain a temporary journalist card. The application will have to be signed by both the applicant and the News Agency.

4.      Duration of process: 2-3 weeks from entry.

Special remarks:

·        Dependents are allowed in this category.

·        Minimal government fees apply.

·        No prevailing wage requirement.

·        No housing requirement.

·        No limit in terms of possible extensions.

·        We recommend to begin preparing certain paperwork prior to entry. 

he Post Doctoral B-1 Research Visa processing is more or less the same as that of the regular B-1 Work visa, however there are some differences regarding the B-1 Research Visa requirements, which are as follows:

• The Post Doctoral process is shorter- The Permit Unit approves applications within 10 days from the date of their submission.
• The assignee must hold a Ph.D. degree.
• The assignee is required to provide an approval from the Council for Higher Education (CHE) that the university is indeed an institution of higher education.
• The assignee is required to provide a recommendation from the university.
• The university is required to sign an affidavit and declare that the assignee will work only for that specific university.
• The university is required to provide the assignee with the needed resources for his research. Please note that in the regular process, the Israeli employer has an obligation to pay the employee a minimum of 17,500 NIS.
• The university is required to provide the assignee with medical insurance.
• The assignee is required to provide a Health Declaration.
• The visa can be extended for up to 4 years. Please note that in the regular procedure, the visa can be extended for up to 63 months.

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The Ministry of Interior has published on May 30, 2021, a new temporary regulation that will allow for the employment of foreign workers in the industry sector for a trial period limited until June 8, 2021.

The new temporary regulation allows Israeli employers in the industry sector to apply for work permits and work visas for foreign employees in certain designated preferential occupations. The temporary regulation allocates a quota of a maximum of 2,000 employee permits.

The designated occupation list is divided into 4 main groups:

• Group 1: Industrial, manufacturing, and mechanical engineers.
  Group 2:  Multiple listed occupations including but not limited to: electrical/practical/mechanical/field service engineers and technicians, forklift operators, welders, locksmiths, blacksmiths, and metalworkers.
  Group 3: Multiple listed occupations including but not limited to: inventory clerks (warehouses), machine operators, and furniture carpenters.
  Group 4: Other occupations that are not specified on the preferential occupation list may also be permitted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Ministry of Economics (“MOE”).

The new temporary regulation requires that employers pay a prevailing wage which is lower than the prevailing wage required for Foreign Experts (20,860 in 2021)

• For Group 1:the minimum required wage will be 17,205 NIS gross per month
• For Groups, 2-4:the minimum required wage will be 13,699 NIS Gross per month.

There is a specific quota of permits allowed for each sub-group of designated permitted occupations. Applications for a work permit under the temporary regulation will be first reviewed and adjudicated by the MOE. Upon approval by the MOE, an additional application must be submitted to the Work Permit Unit, which will issue a work permit.

This new regulation is limited to applications for foreign employees from the United States, most EU countries, Australia and  Singapore, and certain other specified countries.

Employers must comply with additional requirements for employment of foreign workers which are set forth in the regulation. The work permits will only be issued to foreign workers who are directly employed by the Israeli employer (local payroll).