Israel: Regulations Regarding Voiding of Work Permits for Delayed Entry Enforced

March 22, 2023

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Country / Territory

At a Glance

  • The Israeli government is now enforcing the regulations that void one-year B-1 or STEP Work Permits for foreign nationals whose work permit is not activated.
  • The government is also enforcing the regulations that void SEA Work Permits of foreign nationals who do not enter Israel within 30 days from the work permit’s start date.
  • Employers of foreign nationals whose permits have been voided will have to reapply for a new permit, which entails additional government fees and could delay start dates.

The situation

The Israeli government is now enforcing regulations which require those foreign nationals on B-1, STEP and SEA work permits to enter within a certain amount of time.

Details of the changes are shown below:

 

Category Details Impact
B-1 Work Permits and STEP Work Permits
    • Foreign nationals under a B-1 Work Permit valid for one year will have their work permit voided if they do not activate their work permit within 90 days of the permit start date.
    • Foreign nationals under a B-1 STEP Work Permit valid for up to three months will have their work permit voided if they do not activate their work permit within 30 days of the permit start date.
    • Activation involves processing the work permit at the Ministry of Interior.
    • Although this is an existing regulation, in practice, foreign nationals could travel to Israel up until the expiry date of their B-1 work permit.
    • Work permit holders who do not abide by the enforced rule risk the voiding of their work permit, after which they would need to leave Israel.
    • Affected employers would be required to submit a new work permit application. This may result in a delayed start date.
SEA Work Permits Foreign nationals under SEA Work Permits who do not enter Israel within 30 days from the work permit start date will have their work permit voided and will not be able to travel to Israel.
    • Work in Israel is not allowed under a voided work permit.
    • Employers of foreign nationals seeking to enter under a voided SEA Work Permit would be required to submit a new SEA Work Permit application. As processing of these work permits takes up to six business days, this may result in a delayed start date.

Due to the new digital visa system in Israel, immigration authorities are now able to enforce stay and travel rules through digital tracking.

Following this trend, it is likely that authorities will continue to increase their use of technology and digitization of immigration processes to increase compliance checks and improve tracking of foreign workers.

Fragomen worked closely with Kan-Tor & Acco Law Firm to prepare this alert. This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

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