Residency and Citizenship

How do I obtain a formal permit to work in Israel for a citizen of a foreign country? For how long? There are several main groups of citizens entitled to work in Israel:

  1. Foreign workers in specifically required professions: nursing, agriculture and construction.
  2. Expert workers: starting from chefs in ethnic restaurants and ending with foreign company technicians arriving for short periods of time as well as businessmen.
  3. Persons entitled to a work permit as an integral part of their status in Israel as spouses of Israelis, or other family members entitled to the same under certain circumstances.
  4. Asylum seekers – these are not usually entitled to a work permit, but they and their employers benefit from a declared “non-enforcement” policy of the authorities.

Each type of work permit entails different requirements: In some cases, an application must be made only when the potential worker is still abroad; in some cases it can be done after arrival in Israel as a tourist. Sometimes the permit is given for a pre-determined number of years and in other times it has no fixed limitation. There are workers whose employers must obtain a special employment permit in advance, and in other cases the authorities do not require such a permit.

In case you wish to employ a foreign worker, or work in Israel, our office can handle the application, from the preliminary stage of submitting the documents up to filing petitions to the court in a case of refusal. It is very important to receive legal counsel on this matter in order to avoid fines and deportation.

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