Stay Limitations for Foreign Workers
According to the current procedure in Israel, including the Long-Term Care Insurance Law and the Foreign Workers Law, the maximum period a foreign worker can stay in Israel is about four years (51 months). From this point, they cannot continue employment or be associated with a new employer, but must leave Israel’s borders – unless they, or a law firm representing them, apply for a humanitarian visa for a foreign worker.
Who is Eligible for a Humanitarian Visa?
Among the situations where a humanitarian visa can be obtained in nursing care are cases of children of foreign workers who were born and raised in Israel and know only the State of Israel as their homeland, foreign workers who have developed dependence on their elderly or nursing employers, foreigners staying in Israel who need medical treatment in their country of origin, as well as other circumstances that justify obtaining a visa to stay in Israel and for which the Ministry of Interior has not established a separate procedure.
Application Process
The special circumstances must be detailed in a well-reasoned letter sent to the authorities. The goal in most cases is to prove how essential the caregiver is to their employer, so that termination of employment could potentially harm that person. Along with official documents, the opinion should include recommendations from relevant professionals (doctors, social workers, etc.), who were directly impressed by the patient’s ability to function and difficulties before submitting the application and declare that they have no personal interest in submitting the application.
Importance of Legal Representation
Due to its uniqueness, the process of applying for a humanitarian visa in Israel is complex and challenging, which can take many years. Therefore, patience is required from the applicants, and it mainly explains why it’s important to start the process with full guidance from a law firm proficient in the field. Comprehensive legal assistance can simplify and shorten the process, while significantly increasing the chances that the humanitarian visa application will eventually be approved.
An experienced law firm will surely know the main rules of the game in the field. For example, during the application submission, the applicant usually receives protection; their rights are not violated, and their options for obtaining status in Israel are exhausted to the end. The circumstances of submitting the application vary substantially from case to case, and therefore our office devotes most of its efforts to examining each case on its own merits, providing personal attention, and managing each case according to the individual circumstances of each client.
Experience of Zari Hazan & Co. Law Firm in Submitting Humanitarian Visa Applications
Our firm’s experience in submitting this application gives us a great advantage; in the past, we have been successful in many cases of status applications for humanitarian reasons, whether in applications submitted to the Inter-Ministerial Committee in the Ministry of Interior, the Advisory Committee on Foreign Workers Affairs, the Custody Court, the Appeals Court, the Administrative Courts, and even the Supreme Court.
One of the most common and complex applications that our office specializes in is the application for a visa on humanitarian grounds submitted to the Ministry of Interior.
This application is also relevant in cases of foreign workers who were born and raised in Israel, foreign workers whose nursing patients depend on them, foreigners who need critical medical treatment, and other humanitarian issues for which the Ministry of Interior has not established an organized procedure for obtaining status in Israel.
The circumstances may change substantially in each case, but each matter will be examined in light of its unique humanitarian circumstances.
Our office has over 20 years of experience in this field, and we have achieved many successes. We have represented countless foreigners seeking status in Israel for various humanitarian reasons before the Inter-Ministerial Committee in the Ministry of Interior, the Advisory Committee on Foreign Workers Affairs in exceptional situations of nursing care, the Custody Court, the Administrative Courts, and the Supreme Court.
This process requires great patience, but often ends with obtaining the desired status, in a way that prevents significant harm to the lives or dignified living of the applicants when applications under other procedures are insufficient.
