Moving to Israel and becoming a resident is a tough mission. Especially if you cannot meet the demands of the repatriation program. Still, it is possible. At least for those who have official employment based on a work permit and valid business visa. 

By the Law on foreign workers, long-term employment in Israel allows one to apply for a permanent residence permit. But the application is pretty challenging. Due to visa expiration, the foreigner has to either provide the local Interior Ministry with justification for prolongation of visa, or leave the state. Issuing of relevant visas is strictly regulated.

Business visa to Israel

The main thing to start with is to be aware that Israel usually doesn’t welcome the employment of foreigners. Exclusions are made for IT pros, medical workers, and leading engineers for various innovative projects. Thus before offering a job to a foreigner, the employer has to get an accreditation from the Interior Ministry which allows the recruitment of foreign citizens.

To get perfectly legal employment the foreigner has to receive two major documents: 

• Israel work permit. The set of documents for getting this permit is submitted to the Interior Ministry by the employer. Therefore he|she has to prove that it is impossible to find a local candidate for the position and take charge of providing guarantees such as employment, minimal salary, tax rate, etc.). The permit will be valid for the applicant company only. Therefore if the foreigner changes his| or her employer, a new permit will be required.

• Business visa type B1. Initially, the visa is valid for 30 days. Within this period the foreigner has to enter the country and submit a set of documents to the Interior ministry applying for registration and visa prolongation to 12 months (following annual prolongations are required). The foreigner can stay in Israel based on a business visa for 5 years maximum. As well as the working permit, the visa includes the indication of the occupation and employer. Therefore changing jobs will require changing visas too. 

Note: even though Israel has opened its boundaries for the residents of 100+ states of the world, official entry for working in Israel is possible based on a relevant visa only. Searching for a job during a tourist visa-free period as well as illegal employment is a serious misdemeanor that can lead to deportation with the following ban from the country. 

Requirements for the foreign workers  

High-qualified pros must have:

• Language proficiency. Knowledge of Hebrew on at least a conversational level is a must. Exclusions are the jobs that do not presume communication with the locals. however, such positions are extremely rare. 

• Certification of diplomas and qualifications. This durable and complex procedure requires a big set of documents. Besides, certification of certain qualifications is available for Israeli residents only. 

For those with no language proficiency or high qualifications, Israel can offer a lot of low-classed and seasonal jobs: harvesting, industrial, or cleaning stuff occupations such as packers, sorters, loaders, cleaners, housekeepers, etc. It should be mentioned that these occupations presume persistent, hard labor with a low salary. 

Employment programs for foreigners

The easiest way to get a work visa to Israel is to be a relevant employee in the sphere which demands foreign staff. For example: 

• Innovation visa B2. 

This is an experimental simplified procedure for getting a visa designed for start-up entrepreneurs in IT, robotics, and technologies. 

• Sitter’s visa. 

Israel annually issues around 50 000 visas of this kind. They are designed for foreigners (usually women or couples) who are qualified to care for ill or elderly people. More often than not the sitter is supposed to live with the person she| assists and along with sitting to be responsible for housekeeping. 

• Foreign expert working permit. 

If the foreigner occupies leading positions in major global enterprises and can prove his|her skills and competence, he|she can be employed in Israel as a consultant. The Ministry of Economic affairs considers that such kind of employees will allow expanding the employer’s venue and increase the number of working positions for the locals. 

Read here how foreign nationals can stay safe in Israel.