Foreign Expert – Employing Foreign Experts in Israel

A foreign expert is a foreign professional who has acquired education, knowledge, or talent that has given them unique expertise in their field. While the conditions for employing a foreign expert in Israel differ from those for other foreign workers, they are still subject to the laws, regulations, and procedures governing the employment of foreign workers in Israel. In terms of status, the foreign expert has a preferred status over any other foreign worker, but the laws, regulations, and procedures governing their employment are exactly the same as for any foreign worker.

To employ a foreign expert, one must submit a request for a work permit for the foreign expert from the Permits Unit of the Ministry of Interior (Population and Immigration Authority), in addition to a request for a B/1 work visa from the Ministry of Interior at the company’s location. For the application, various documents must be provided, including documents attesting to the expertise of the foreign expert the employer wishes to bring to Israel.

Regarding the employment of foreign experts for various purposes, whether it’s a temporary worker or a foreign expert, the two relevant visas are B-1 and B-2 visas. A B-1 work visa grants permission for temporary work in Israel. A B-2 visitor visa allows visits for tourism or business in Israel. It’s important to know that the work visa will be received by the employer, not the foreign national worker. Any foreign citizen who wishes to work in Israel is required to obtain both an entry visa and a work permit. Israeli law prohibits the employment of foreign workers without a permit from the Immigration and Population Authority.

The process involves four main stages to obtain a work visa for foreign workers:
1. Submitting an application for an employment permit from the Population Administration Authority in Israel.
2. After receiving the permit, submitting an application for an entry visa from the Ministry of Interior.
3. Issuing the visa at the embassy of the worker’s country of origin.
4. Receiving entry approval and multiple entries to Israel.

The conditions for employing a foreign expert involve:
* Payment of a fee that varies according to the duration of the foreign expert’s stay
* The employer commits to paying the foreign expert double the average wage in the Israeli economy
* In cases of prolonged stay, the employer will be required to pay a guarantee for the expert, which will be returned upon completion of the foreign expert’s stay

Most foreign expert roles involve management and development positions and have very high levels of education and specialization, which justify bringing them to the country from overseas instead of hiring an Israeli worker.

Our office will accompany the employer seeking to obtain a permit to employ a foreign worker from the stage of collecting various documents, including certificates of both the company and the employee, through the stage of submitting the application at the bureaus, paying the fee, and until receiving the requested permit. Among our clients are international companies and organizations from the most prominent in the global and Israeli markets, and we have had many successes in obtaining permits for employing foreign experts and even in appeals against the Population Authority’s decision on granting approval to foreign experts.

Our office’s familiarity with the Ministry of Interior and its various bureaus allows us to act with the utmost professionalism to obtain the permits requested by our clients as quickly as possible and in accordance with the law. Failure to comply with the conditions and laws of employing foreign experts and foreign workers in Israel may result in fines and criminal charges. Therefore, we recommend consulting with a professional lawyer in the field before submitting an application to bring a foreign expert to the country.