Everything you wanted to know about obtaining a permit to employ a foreign worker

To employ a foreign worker as a long-term caregiver, you must obtain an employment permit from the Immigration Authority and register with one of the duly authorized private agencies. Manpower Care serves as a registered agency for the employment of foreign workers, and also offers its assistance in the initials stages when you need to complete the forms and submit the documents and the application for the employment permit.

Who is eligible?

A permit to employ a foreign worker to care for seniors is granted to those who need full long-term care (a long-term caregiver in a full-time position at the very minimum), living at home or in an assisted living framework that does not have long-term care services.

Eligibility for the permit is based on the following criteria:

1. Age. The applicant must be past retirement age.

2. Accumulation of a certain number of points in the National Insurance Institute dependency test, conducted when you file a claim for a long-term care benefit.

2a. Accumulation of at least 4.5 points in the test.

2b. A senior living alone can obtain authorization based on the accumulation of just 4 points.

2c. Even those not applying for a long-term care benefit (for example: in the case of a high income) must undergo the test for a dependency assessment as a prerequisite for obtaining a permit to employ a foreign worker. To have the test, you must submit an application to the Permits Department in the Population and Immigration Authority (Application Form for Performance of a Dependency Test).

3. Exceptions: authorization can be obtained even if the aforementioned conditions are not met, in the following instances:

• Age: over the age of 85 – authorization can be obtained even if only 2.5-4 points are accumulated and a physician’s letter about the need for 24/7 supervision and/or care is provided.
• Age: over the age of 90 – authorization can be obtained even if only 4 points were accumulated.
• Family: when the care recipient lives with another disabled member of the family or when the care recipient has three children under the age of 16.
• State of health: when the care recipient has cancer.
• Medical board: other exceptions, that do not meet the criteria; an application can be submitted to a medical advisory board.

How do I apply for a permit?

In order to obtain a permit to employ a foreign worker, you need to complete application forms and pay an employment fee. All the documents, payment certificates and any other certificates, as necessary, must be sent by regular mail to one of the Population and Immigration Authority bureaus in the long-term care sector, located throughout the country: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, Kfar Saba, Haifa and Beer Sheva.

The addresses of the bureaus are listed at the bottom of the application forms.

Applications cannot be sent by fax.

Send the original certificates authenticated by an attorney or accountant only.

 After you submit the application, the medical board may ask for another medical opinion, but the discussion is, first and foremost, contingent on the National Insurance Institute dependency test, the results of which are delivered directly to the Immigration Authority.

The forms that must be completed and sent:

• Form A: Application for a permit to employ a foreign worker.
• Form B: Employer’s Liability.
• Form C: Waiver of Medical Confidentiality Declaration.
• A photocopy of the applicant’s ID card and its appendix.

Additional forms in exceptional cases:

• Form D: Appendix to the application for a permit for the long-term care of a minor (to be signed by the parent).
• Form E: Application form for a patient about to be discharged from hospital/ long-term care institution.

The fees that must be paid

• A reduced fee for a permit to employ a foreign worker in long-term care: NIS 300
  The application fee will not be refunded even if the application of the care recipient is rejected. There are no discounts or exemptions enacted for this fee by law, not even for reasons of, or relating to, the applicant’s financial situation.
• Supplementary fee: dependency test. The fee: NIS 290
  The fee is for care recipients who are past retirement age and who are not eligible for a long-term care benefit because of their level of income, but who must undergo a dependency test.
• Fee to extend the work permit of a foreign worker in the long-term care sector: NIS 175

When do I get answers? And what must I do afterwards?

• The Long-Term Care Department’s answer to the application for the permit will be sent by regular mail.
• After you receive the permit, you must pay a fee of NIS 180 for an entry visa for the foreign worker.
• Upon receipt of the entitlement, you must register with one of the authorized private agencies listed on the Immigration Authority website in order to register the foreign worker in your name.
• The authorized companies are entitled to charge NIS 70 a month for their services, such as: house visits, helping to resolve problems, handling visas, etc.
• Never employ a foreign worker who is not registered with a private agency and without receipt of a placement letter from the agency confirming the registration.

* The amounts are revised from time to time on the Immigration Authority’s website: www.piba.gov.il

Fast-track authorization of employment

In the event of a discharge from hospital and the need for quick authorization, a medical assessment from the attending physician can be submitted, specifying the need for continuous care.

This quick process enables the employment of a foreign worker who is already in Israel, and is granted only for a three-month period. After that, the standard procedure is required to continue employing the foreign worker.

Don’t do it alone! Manpower Care can handle the process of obtaining an employment permit for you, and keeps current with the frequent policy changes introduced by the National Insurance Institute.