Officials open work visa subcategory to applicants with 2 years of study

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The Israeli Ministry of Interior has expanded the pool of applicants for B-1 work visas under the path for foreign experts with academic qualifications to include experts with two years of post-secondary study in a technical field.

What does the change mean? Effective immediately, foreign experts with two years of post-secondary study in a technical field who meet other qualifying criteria will be eligible to apply for B-1 visas based on their academic qualifications. Previously, the subcategory was open only to applicants with at least a bachelor’s degree.

• Implementation time frame: Immediate and ongoing.
• Visas/permits affected: B-1 visas for academically qualified applicants.
• Who is affected: Employers and foreign experts applying for B-1 visas based on academic qualifications.
• Business impact: The change will ease the application process and speed up end-to-end processing because eligible applicants will not have to complete as many requirements before obtaining a work visa.

Background: Under Israel’s visa rules, foreign experts who work in professions requiring a higher education are exempted from certain application requirements, including providing a bank deposit, opening a local bank account and providing a copy of an employment contract. While the subcategory has been expanded to include some applicants with two years of post-secondary study, the Ministry of Interior’s work permit unit made it clear that it retains the right to reclassify work visa applications into other subcategories if it deems it appropriate to do so.

BAL Analysis: The change will expand the pool of applicants in this B-1 subcategory, easing the process for businesses recruiting affected applicants.

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