By Yoav Noy, Partner
To maintain research and development capabilities and address the challenges faced by the high-tech industry, on August 11, 2024, the Israel Innovation Authority issued a call for proposals to companies registered and incorporated in Israel. This initiative aims to encourage the employment of foreign experts in the field of AI, who possess relevant academic knowledge from a recognized institution and relevant work experience abroad, and are interested in integrating into Israeli high-tech companies. The authority will support the program for a period of up to 24 months through substantial grants for approved projects. This includes assistance with the integration of these experts into Israeli high-tech companies and providing optimal acclimatization support for the employees and their families. Applications must be submitted to the Israel Innovation Authority by September 15, 2024.
Researchers are required to hold a master’s or doctoral degree in the following fields: Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, Bioinformatics, or any other equivalent relevant training that provides knowledge and expertise in artificial intelligence. They must also have at least 3 years of accumulated work experience in a knowledge-intensive industry in a role relevant to their academic training.
Foreign experts will be placed in Israel under a work visa for foreign experts in accordance with the procedure for processing requests from high-tech and cyber companies by the Population and Immigration Authority. This procedure allows for the issuance of a visa in a relatively short time after receiving the recommendation of the Israel Innovation Authority. The work visa can be extended for up to 63 months.
In addition to obtaining a work visa for the foreign expert, the procedure also allows the spouse to receive a general work visa, without employer or salary restrictions, so they can also work in Israel. It should be noted that the possibility of employing the spouse of foreign experts exists only for experts holding a work visa under this subcategory. It is also worth mentioning that the procedure allows foreign students and graduates who have completed their studies in Israel in the high-tech field to work for a limited period in Israeli companies, even without the payment of an expert salary, which currently stands at approximately NIS 25,000 per month.
Our firm has many years of experience in assisting Israeli and multinational companies with submitting work visa applications for foreign experts, particularly in the high-tech sector.
