Status in Israel
Status in Israel
Law Of Return and the Law of Citizenship & Entry into Israel and the Regulations defining who can enter, reside, and work in Israel.
The Ministry of Interior is the administrative office dealing with all immigrant issues and status in Israel, including work visas, visitor visas, student visas, resident visas, etc. All matters pertaining to visa extensions and/or change of visa status in Israel are adjudicated by the Israeli Ministry of Interior.
Status in Israel is easy to obtain if you are Jewish and just visiting for practically any unlimited amount of time, or if you are Jewish and relocating to Israel under the Law of Return.
Status in Israel
However, it is extremely difficult for non-Jews to obtain legal status in Israel for any period of time other than in the case of a brief visit for tourist or business purposes.
Status in Israel for Volunteers wishing to work and live in Israel with on a Volunteer Basis must be coming to volunteer for an Organization approved by the Ministry for receiving volunteers from abroad. The maximum time allotted for volunteer status in Israel is six months but a three month extension may be granted under certain circumstances. The Volunteer status in Israel must be approved while the intending visitor is still abroad. When the visa expires the Volunteer must depart Israel.
Israeli employers may petition for status in Israel on behalf of foreign experts if the employer can prove among other things that the foreign worker is an expert in his or her field and that he or she will be paid no less that two and a half times the average Israeli income. In some fields, such as Hi Tech the salary requirement may be even higher and it may be difficult to prove that there is a shortage of willing and capable Israeli’s eligible to fill the job without the need to bring in a foreign worker.
Religious workers wishing obtain status in Israel for relocation purposes, with their families, must be be approved first by the appropriate religious desk within the Ministry of Interior.
Caretakers may remain in Israel for up to seven years or indefinitely thereafter if they are working for the same elderly or sick employer. After that time they must return to their country of origin. The Ministry of Trade and Commerce in conjunction with the Ministry of Interior are responsible for the processing of these requests. However, persons requiring a caretaker must first apply to the Israeli Social Security Office and undergo a rigorous process and provide a myriad of documentation if they are to convince that office that they are eligible to employ a foreign worker.
Migrant infiltrators or visitors who enter Israel legally but remain in the country beyond their entry permit so that they can work illegally in Israel will eventually be turned away and deported.
Until recently Israel had an influx of illegal visitors and migrants infiltrating the country from African countries by trekking through the Sinai desert into Israel. The problem became so acute that the Israeli government was forced to allocate funds necessary to build a fence along the Sinai border with Egypt to prevent the infiltration. Holding Compounds had to be built and expanded to accommodate the illegal migrants caught at the border and legislation is proposed and enacted to adapt the the current situation. Some of the African illegal migrants are able to obtain status in Israel by proving they are refugees or asylum seekers but for the most part the migrants from Africa are seek undocumented employment in Israel.
Klarfeld Law Offices deal primarily with Conditional Adjustment of Status for Spouses or Life Partners of Israeli Citizens, Religious Visas, Volunteer Visas, and Expert Visas, as well as litigation and Petitions to the Administrative Court in deportation matters, Status in Israel, or for other issues requiring Judicial Relief from Administrative Orders.