Employing a Foreign Expert in Israel: Permits and the B/1 Visa
Employing a foreign expert in Israel is a separate track from ordinary foreign employment. It is meant for a person with specialised knowledge that is not available in the local market, and it runs in two distinct stages: an employment permit for the company, and then a B/1 work visa and residence permit for the individual. The two are examined separately, and approval of one does not guarantee the other.
The first stage belongs to the employer. The company applies to the Population and Immigration Authority for a permit to employ an expert foreign worker; the service page is published here. Only once that permit exists does the second stage begin, in which the individual receives a visa and a B/1 work and residence permit.
Companies frequently plan a start date around the wrong stage. A signed contract and a booked flight do not shorten the first stage, and arriving on a tourist visa to "start meanwhile" creates exactly the breach that later blocks the B/1.
The core of the file is the specialised knowledge itself. It is not enough to say the candidate is talented or that the company prefers them. What carries weight is a concrete showing of the expertise, why the role requires it, and why it is not readily available locally.
Generic job descriptions are the most common weakness. A description that could apply to many candidates invites the question of why this particular person needs to come from abroad.
A refusal and a non-renewal are not the same decision, and the distinction shapes the response. Cancelling or refusing to renew a permit that already exists disturbs a state of affairs the Authority itself created, and it demands a firmer evidentiary basis than declining to grant a new one.
Both are administrative decisions. They are subject to a duty to give reasons and to the right to be heard before a decision that harms you is taken. In practice, the first step is to demand the administrative material the Authority relied on, in writing, rather than responding blind.
Some decisions must first go through an internal appeal within the Population and Immigration Authority before reaching the Appeals Tribunal. Filing in the wrong forum wastes a short deadline, and the state will later argue delay. That distinction is worth checking before anything is filed.
What is a B/1 visa?
A work and residence permit issued to a person coming to work in Israel, including a foreign expert, once an employment permit has been granted to the employer.
Can the expert start work while the permit is pending?
No. Working before the permit and visa are in place is a breach that can lead to cancellation and removal, and it damages future applications.
Who applies, the company or the individual?
The employer applies for the employment permit. The individual then obtains the visa and permit. Both parts have to hold together.
Our permit was not renewed although it was approved before. Is that possible?
Yes, but a non-renewal still requires reasons, and you have the right to respond before it is decided.
Can this be handled from outside Israel?
Yes. Both the employer stage and the individual stage can be handled while the expert is abroad.
Read also: Entry visa to Israel · Residency status · Deportation hearing
The information on this page is general only and does not constitute legal advice or a substitute for it.
The two stages, and why the order matters
The first stage belongs to the employer. The company applies to the Population and Immigration Authority for a permit to employ an expert foreign worker; the service page is published here. Only once that permit exists does the second stage begin, in which the individual receives a visa and a B/1 work and residence permit.
Companies frequently plan a start date around the wrong stage. A signed contract and a booked flight do not shorten the first stage, and arriving on a tourist visa to "start meanwhile" creates exactly the breach that later blocks the B/1.
What the application actually has to show
The core of the file is the specialised knowledge itself. It is not enough to say the candidate is talented or that the company prefers them. What carries weight is a concrete showing of the expertise, why the role requires it, and why it is not readily available locally.
Generic job descriptions are the most common weakness. A description that could apply to many candidates invites the question of why this particular person needs to come from abroad.
Refusal, and non-renewal of an existing permit
A refusal and a non-renewal are not the same decision, and the distinction shapes the response. Cancelling or refusing to renew a permit that already exists disturbs a state of affairs the Authority itself created, and it demands a firmer evidentiary basis than declining to grant a new one.
Both are administrative decisions. They are subject to a duty to give reasons and to the right to be heard before a decision that harms you is taken. In practice, the first step is to demand the administrative material the Authority relied on, in writing, rather than responding blind.
Challenging a decision
Some decisions must first go through an internal appeal within the Population and Immigration Authority before reaching the Appeals Tribunal. Filing in the wrong forum wastes a short deadline, and the state will later argue delay. That distinction is worth checking before anything is filed.
Frequently asked questions
What is a B/1 visa?
A work and residence permit issued to a person coming to work in Israel, including a foreign expert, once an employment permit has been granted to the employer.
Can the expert start work while the permit is pending?
No. Working before the permit and visa are in place is a breach that can lead to cancellation and removal, and it damages future applications.
Who applies, the company or the individual?
The employer applies for the employment permit. The individual then obtains the visa and permit. Both parts have to hold together.
Our permit was not renewed although it was approved before. Is that possible?
Yes, but a non-renewal still requires reasons, and you have the right to respond before it is decided.
Can this be handled from outside Israel?
Yes. Both the employer stage and the individual stage can be handled while the expert is abroad.
Read also: Entry visa to Israel · Residency status · Deportation hearing
The information on this page is general only and does not constitute legal advice or a substitute for it.
