Publications
Immigration Law Updates, January 2023
Dear Clients,
With the beginning of the new year, 2023, we would like to update you about several new developments in Israeli immigration law.
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1.Increase of the Mandatory “Foreign Experts Salary” for 2023 (With Immediate Effect)
All employers of Foreign Expert employees in Israeli are obliged to pay a mandatory “B/1-Foreign-Expert Salary” defined by Israeli law as a gross monthly base salary that is no less than double the average monthly salary of salaried employees, as published every January by Israel’s National Insurance Institute (“NII”).
The NII announced on the official website (link) that the average gross monthly salary of salaried employees was updated on January 2023 to NIS 11,730.
Thus, the minimum Foreign Expert salary for 2023 will be NIS 23,460.
Please note:
- The above amount is payable to a Foreign Expert for a regular full-time position. This amount does not include any sum to which the employee may be entitled for overtime or other mandatory benefits under the law.
- The change is effective as of January 1st, 2023.
- The payment of the “B/1-Foreign-Expert Salary” is mandatory, and all employers of Foreign Experts must ensure that salaries for 2023 meet the legal requirements.
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2.Updated 2023 Government Fees Announced by the Israeli Immigration Authority
As of January 1st 2023, the Immigration Authority updated the government fees for various procedures such as work permit applications submissions in various categories such as Foreign Experts, construction, agriculture and others, B-1 visas government fees and others.
Please see below the principal changes to government fees with respect to Foreign Experts:
- Foreign Expert B/1 Application: NIS 1,300
- Foreign Expert Annual Employer Government Fee: NIS 10,525 (including B/1 license).
- Multiple Entry Visa: NIS 185
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3.A New Amendment to the Israeli Passport Law? Intention to Restrict the Conditions for Receiving an Israeli Passport for New Immigrants
As published on the Israeli Immigration Authority’s website, the new Minister of the Interior and Health instructed the Population and Immigration Authority to propose an amendment to the passport law, stipulating that issuing an Israeli passport to new immigrants will be subject to proof that the new immigrant has actually settled in the country. If this proposed amendment is enacted, the law will revert to the legal situation before 2017, when new immigrants, including immigrants under the Law of Return (Olim), were required to settle in Israel for at least 1-year in order to be eligible to receive an Israeli passport.
