Short Employment Authorization Pilot Program Is Closed

Employers are no longer able to sponsor foreign workers for work authorization under the Short Employment Authorization (SEA) visa program. The Ministry of Interior announced yesterday that it is no longer accepting SEA applications, effective immediately. Pending applications will not be processed. 

The SEA was introduced as a pilot program to explore new work authorization options for brief, urgent trips to Israel. The SEA visa allowed holders to enter Israel for up to 30 days to perform urgent repairs and similar work activities. 

The Ministry advised that it could begin to accept SEA applications again if formal regulations implementing the program are published. Though there have been no public announcements about such rules, they could be published in the near future. 

What This Means for Employers 

With the SEA visa program no longer available, employers who need to send foreign workers to Israel for short-term work will have to apply for the Three-Month Work Permit (STEP) instead. The typical processing time for a STEP application is currently one to two months. 

Fragomen worked closely with Kan-Tor & Acco Law Firm (Israel) to prepare this alert. It is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

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