Question 1

Can a replacement worker be obtained while the regular caregiver is abroad on leave?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When the regular caregiver travels abroad on a re-entry visa for at least 21 days, the permit holder may ask a licensed private agency for a temporary replacement. Before buying a ticket, check with the agency that the visa's validity allows the trip and that the re-entry visa request has been filed.

Question 2

When should the employment permit and the worker's visa extension be applied for?

Accepted Answer

Apply to extend the employment permit 60 days before it expires. The application to extend the worker's residence and work licence is filed 60 to 90 days before it expires, on an online form, and only through the private agency with which the patient is registered. So the applications should not be filed earlier, but it is important not to be late: an expired permit does not allow continued employment of the worker. Contact us in good time and we will make sure both applications are filed on schedule.

Question 3

When can a caregiver be submitted to the humanitarian committee, and what are the conditions?

Accepted Answer

A caregiver's licence is extended for at most a year at a time, and as a rule up to 63 months from first entry. Employment beyond that requires the Interior Minister's approval on special humanitarian grounds, the so-called "humanitarian committee". Before 63 months the committee is neither needed nor available. A worker who has been in Israel between 51 and 62 months cannot apply under this procedure, but may be able to work as a replacement for a worker on leave.

The application is filed by a patient holding a valid, vacant permit. Main thresholds:
• At least 63 months have passed since the worker's first entry in the nursing sector.
• The worker worked at least 24 consecutive months for one patient. A move following a patient's death or permanent move to a care institution does not break continuity.
• The last lawful employment ended because the patient died or moved permanently to a care institution, not through resignation or dismissal.
• 8 years have not passed since first entry.
• No previous extension was granted on these grounds, except to care for the patient's spouse living with them.
• The application is filed within 90 days of the end of the last lawful employment.

For a complex patient below mandatory retirement age, for example one entitled to a special-services allowance of at least 188%, the conditions on a previous decision, 24 months' continuity and the reason employment ended do not apply, and the cap is 13 years instead of 8. A worker who has been in Israel for 10 years can therefore generally move to a new patient only on this track.

If approved, the worker's licence must be extended within 90 days of notification. The worker may work only for the patient named in the approval and must leave Israel when that employment ends. The decision may be appealed to the Appeals Tribunal within 30 days. The "Iron Swords" temporary order on this subject has expired and is closed to new applications. Every case is examined on its merits, so contact us for an early check.

Question 4

What are the conditions for a re-entry visa (inter-visa) for a caregiver?

Accepted Answer

A caregiver who wants to holiday abroad and return needs a re-entry visa ("inter-visa"). Under procedure 5.3.0024 the request is filed at least 30 days before leaving Israel, on an online form through the private agency where the worker is registered, with the fee paid online. The fee is ₪205 (PIBA circular 09/2026, effective 1.9.2026).

Main conditions:
• Passport valid for at least one year from filing; a copy is attached.
• Work licence valid at least 30 days after the requested visa period ends.
• The worker has not been in Israel for more than 90 days without a registered employer.
• 63 months have not passed since first entry, or they have and the worker is lawfully registered with an employer holding a valid permit.
• The agency declares that the employer knows of the trip, agrees to it and will take the worker back, and that the request dates match the flight ticket. Without a registered employer, the request may be filed if the agency undertakes to help arrange lawful employment after return.
• Placing a replacement worker is not a condition for approval.

The Population and Immigration Authority decides, not the embassy. The visa is generally for a single entry and up to 90 days, and expires at the end of the period or on use, whichever is earlier. It is also available in the personal area of the foreign-workers digital platform. Time abroad counts toward the 63 months. A pregnant worker or one who gave birth in Israel applies under a separate procedure (5.3.0023). In exceptional circumstances, such as a death in the family, the Authority may consider a request that does not meet every condition, without any guarantee.

Do not buy a ticket before the agency has checked the licence validity and confirmed the request can be approved. Contact us as early as possible.

Question 5

Can a foreign caregiver who has completed 51 months in Israel start working for a new patient?

Accepted Answer

As a rule, no. A worker who has completed 51 months since first entering Israel may not start permanent employment with a new patient. They may continue working for the patient who lawfully employed them before then, until 63 months. Without an employer, they must leave Israel at the end of the 60-day wind-down period. This wind-down period runs from the end of the last lawful employment, even if the licence is valid until a later date, and the worker may not work during it. It is different from the 90 days available to a worker who has not yet completed 51 months to arrange new employment. A worker whose licence was cancelled for breaching its conditions is not entitled to it.

The main exception (procedure 5.3.0004) is temporary replacement work: a worker who has been in Israel between 51 and 62 months and has no employer may be registered, through a private agency and with Authority approval, as a temporary replacement for a patient whose regular worker has gone abroad on a re-entry visa for more than 21 days. Conditions: they are not registered with another employer, have not been without a lawful employer for more than 30 days, and their visa will not in any case be extended beyond 63 months.

A worker who approached an agency to arrange new employment before reaching 51 months, with a compliant request, may be approved even if the period ended during processing. Contact us about a specific case.

Question 6

Until when can a caregiver's stay and work licence be extended?

Accepted Answer

As a rule, a caregiver may stay and work in Israel for up to 63 months from first entry on a B/1 licence, and time spent abroad is counted. A worker who has completed 51 months may continue only with the patient who employed them legally before then, and may not move to a new patient. Extension beyond 63 months is possible with the same patient only, under the conditions in the law and procedure: the worker has worked for that patient at least one year, and an opinion from a social worker, doctor or registered nurse states that ending the employment would seriously harm the patient. The work licence is granted for up to one year, subject to the validity of the permit and passport. In some cases, after the patient's death, the humanitarian committee can be approached.

Question 7

May a caregiver work in any region of Israel?

Accepted Answer

Not always. A caregiver arriving from abroad is assigned to one of three zones according to where the inviting patient lives: Tel Aviv, Centre or Periphery.

Transfer rules:
• A worker who arrived for the Periphery may move only to another patient in the Periphery.
• A worker who arrived for the Centre may move to the Centre or the Periphery, but not to Tel Aviv.
• A worker who arrived for Tel Aviv may move anywhere in the country.
• A patient who moves to another zone notifies the Authority, and the worker continues working for them.
• The patient's death does not in itself cancel the assignment.

A move against the assignment requires prior approval through an exceptional request under the Authority's procedure, and a request filed after the worker has already started working in the other zone is rejected outright. Before employment starts, therefore, check through the agency and the worker's passport that the worker is assigned to the patient's zone.