VisaIsrael caregiver permits: digital B/1 renewals and re-entry visas require separate checks
Current official procedures distinguish a caregiver’s initial work visa, digital renewal and permission to return after a home visit. Employers also have separate reporting obligations.
Official source date: 2026-11-01
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Initial caregiver recruitment requires approval before the consular stage
Foreign home-based caregivers preparing to work in Israel should distinguish their initial B/1 visa from a subsequent permit renewal or permission to return after a holiday. Israel’s London embassy says the initial consular procedure begins only after approval from the Population and Immigration Authority in Israel. This is a current procedural guide; the digital-permit arrangements described below began earlier and are not a new November policy.
The embassy’s caregiver service identifies applicants over 18 with no first-degree relatives in Israel and an approved work-visa request. Its checklist includes a passport valid for three years, two recent 5-by-5-centimetre photographs, a translated and certified criminal-clearance certificate valid for six months, a similarly certified birth certificate, recognised medical tests, consent to biometrics, an employment contract and training evidence. The recruiting agency must also have the required brokerage authorisation. Use the embassy checklist and wait for the mission’s invitation before arranging the personal interview; an agency’s recruitment offer alone is not the visa.
Renewal evidence is a digital file sent through the placement bureau
PIBA’s 9 December 2024 caregiver notice established digital-only visas and work permits from 1 January 2025. For renewals, the PDF is supplied through the placement bureau and the authority’s computer systems, including border systems, are updated. A worker should therefore request the issued digital document and check its personal details and validity rather than assume that the absence of a new passport sticker means the renewal has failed.
The notice also addresses a change of patient: following termination, the worker must report to the registered placement bureau immediately and no later than seven days, to update details and receive offers. It describes possible cancellation proceedings for unjustified refusals or failure to register, subject to a hearing. These are reasons to clarify the recorded employment position promptly. The notice lists NIS195 as its publication-date extension or re-entry charge but expressly says fees change; obtain the current payment amount rather than treat the 2024 figure as a verified 2026 tariff.
A home visit requires advance re-entry planning
PIBA’s current Hebrew re-entry service says the employer or authorised representative must submit an Inter-Visa request at least 30 days before planned departure. The permission can cover up to 90 days. Its conditions include the worker being in Israel when applying, a passport valid for at least a year and an existing work licence extending at least 30 days beyond the requested Inter-Visa period. The worker must not have spent more than 90 days without a registered employer.
The service requests a passport copy, proof of fee payment and a power of attorney where a representative applies. It directs the applicant through the national identification system to the re-entry application. Incomplete requests are rejected; a receipt acknowledging submission is not approval. The issued permit is sent to the employer and is also available through the worker’s personal digital platform. Use this service before a home-country holiday, while checking that the proposed return falls within both the travel permission and the underlying work authorisation.
Employer benefits do not replace immigration or employment duties
The National Insurance Institute’s foreign-caregiver resource states that PIBA issues the employment permit. It separately explains the employer’s choice between direct employment with a cash long-term-care benefit and employment through a nursing company. A benefit award therefore should not be used as proof that the worker has the necessary immigration permission. Use the Institute’s page for the benefit arrangement and PIBA’s resources for the permit.
The Institute also says employers must report the worker’s personal details and declare and pay insurance contributions on the salary, including where no National Insurance benefit is received. Care for two eligible people in one household requires the stated authorisation route, directly through the handling branch or through the nursing company. Families should resolve those arrangements alongside the worker’s registered job and renewal. The VisaWand editorial team edited and checked this guide; the sources establish no universal guaranteed visa-processing time or nationality-wide entitlement to recruitment.
