Individual signed affidavits now required for each employee

IMPACT – HIGH

What is the change? Israel’s Ministry of Interior announced today that employers sponsoring foreign workers for work permits must submit a separate affidavit signed by the company for each employee.

What does the change mean? The change may add significantly to processing time because each affidavit must be legalized by an Israeli lawyer or, if abroad, legalized at an Israeli consulate or notarized and apostilled.

• Implementation time frame: Immediate.
• Visas/permits affected:B-1 work permits.
• Who is affected:All employers sponsoring foreign workers.
• Impact on processing times:The additional process for each applicant may add several days and even weeks to the process, depending on the company.
• Business impact:Employers should expect longer timelines for work permit applications.
• Next steps:Companies can no longer submit an existing affidavit for new applicants and should work with their BAL representative to prepare a new affidavit as soon as possible.

Background: Companies sponsoring foreign employees must submit an affidavit confirming their obligations to the employee and the Israeli state. Up until now, a company could use one original affidavit covering several foreign assignees. The work permit unit is now requiring an original affidavit for each foreign worker.

BAL Analysis: BAL will be contacting affected clients to submit new affidavits for each foreign employee. Additionally, BAL is working to seek concessions for companies that submit a large number of applications and will update clients if such concessions are allowed.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Israel. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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