Employing a foreign worker is suitable in cases where the patient is in need of assistance 24 hours a day.
To employ a foreign worker you must receive a permit/license from the domestic care branch of the Population and Immigration Authority.
This permit will be given based on eligibility and the assessment tests performed by the National Insurance Institute of Israel, in the framework of requests for long-term care benefits, special services, etc. Details about the tests and about determining the level/rank of dependency can be found on the “Long-Term Care Benefit” page.
In cases where applicants cannot undergo the National Insurance Institute’s dependency assessment tests because their income is above the maximum threshold for receiving a benefit, the dependency assessment tests will be performed by the Population and Immigration Authority.
In this case, the applicant must pay a fee for the request.
Similar to long-term care benefits, foreign worker employment permits are not granted to patients who live in nursing or rehabilitation institutions.
Those eligible for a long-term care benefit (at different levels) can choose to receive it in one of three ways: cash (for employing a private caregiver or foreign worker); services (receiving a caregiver from the National Insurance Institute); or a combination of cash and caregiving hours from a National Insurance Institute caregiver. Those who want to employ a foreign worker can receive the entirety of the benefit in cash.
As stated, the maximum sum that can be received from the National Insurance Institute for employing a foreign worker depends on the rank/level of the benefit granted, and as of November 2019 stands at:
Level of Entitlement 1: NIS 1,407
Level of Entitlement 2: NIS 2,047
Level of Entitlement 3: NIS 3,456
Level of Entitlement 4: NIS 3,275
Level of Entitlement 5: NIS 3,889
Level of Entitlement 6: NIS 4,912
Someone who receives a long-term care benefit from the National Insurance Institute and employs a foreign worker, whether privately or through an employment agency, is exempt from declaring and paying national insurance contributions for the salary paid privately to the foreign worker, up to a sum of NIS 5,500 per month.
For those who are eligible and wish to submit a request for receiving the benefit in cash, or who wish to look into an update for the benefit, the request system on the National Insurance Institute’s website can be accessed here, where the request for a pension can also be submitted.
How to submit a request for employing a foreign worker
The request for a permit should be submitted to the Population and Immigration Authority at the Ministry of Interior. The Authority’s committee is permitted to request medical opinions and paperwork and any other relevant documents required for considering the request. Approval of the request is subject to the dependency assessment test performed by the National Insurance Institute (the results of which are sent directly to the Population and Immigration Authority).
More information, links to the required forms, and a link for submitting the request can be found here on the government services website.
Those who were determined to be ineligible for a long-term care benefit due to high income must undergo a dependency assessment test performed by the Population and Immigration Authority. More information about the request to have a dependency assessment test performed by the Population and Immigration Authority can be found here.
Permits for employing foreign workers must be renewed once a year. If a permanent need for help has been determined or if the request is for an elderly person over the age of 85, the permit will be automatically extended with no need to request an extension (as long as the person lives at home).
Finding a foreign worker
Foreign workers are found through private agencies that have a license and permit from the Population and Immigration Authority to bring in, handle and act as agents for foreign workers. Find contact details and information on all the agencies here.
They can also be found through care agencies that do not bring in and place workers but can connect the applicant family to the private agency with which they work.
One may also independently find a worker who is legally entitled to live and work in Israel, or by find a worker abroad and connect them with a private agency.
After 51 months (four years and three months) in Israel, a foreign worker is not permitted to start a new position with a long-term care patient and must leave Israel. If the worker continues to provide care to the same long-term care patient, they are of course permitted to stay. Therefore, it is important to check with the private agency that the relevant worker is not overstaying their permitted time in Israel.
Several important facts you should know about employing a foreign worker:
Foreign workers are permitted to work only in the geographic region they were assigned to upon entering Israel.
Foreign workers cannot legally be employed if they are not registered with a private agency.
All labor laws practiced in Israel are valid for and apply to foreign workers, with an emphasis on those working in the care sector. Therefore, these workers must be given full social benefits. An employer (or family) who employs a foreign worker and does not provide full benefits can be severely punished by the state.
The customary salary for foreign workers is minimum wage in Israel.
The number of hours a patient is eligible for according to the National Insurance Institute’s dependency assessment tests is converted into cash and given to the patient to contribute to the costs of the foreign caregiver’s salary. The currency for payment should be agreed upon in advance directly with the foreign worker.
If the patient is entitled to fewer than 12 weekly caregiver hours, the money from the pension is not transferred directly into their bank account but given to a domestic care agency they must register with (at the same time as registering with a private agency); the agency will then transfer the payment to the worker. Find a list of agencies by geographic region here.
Further information about employing foreign workers and conditions of employment to which foreign workers are entitled and employers obligated, can be found on the “Family Caregiver” website here.
