Who is entitled to receive a permit for employing a foreign worker as a caregiver?
A person who is limited in performing daily functions and for who a level of dependency has been determined by one of the following:
1. National Insurance Institute: eligibility for nursing care hours in the framework of the Nursing Care Law or eligibility for special services pension – S.R.M
2. Ministry of Health: those over the age of retirement but not eligible for nursing benefits as a result of high income, or have relinquished nursing benefits
(to download form click here).
3. Ministry of Defense: the elderly who are under care of the Ministry of Defense
In order to evaluate dependency a certified nurse from one of the above institutions comes to the patient’s home. The assessment consists of points for each daily task performed / not performed such as: dressing, bathing, feeding, walking, incontinence, communication and orientation in space and time.
The number of points needed in the dependency assessment to be eligible for a permit for a foreign worker is at least 4.5 points (or 4 points for a single individual).
If the patient is found eligible to employ a foreign worker, an application requesting a permit must be submitted to the authorized unit of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, with the receipt for payment of the fee of 265NIS, a photocopy of the patient’s ID and confirmation of the dependency assessment or eligible hours from the National Insurance Institute (not compulsory). The process takes about one month.
The permit application can be given to our office to be passed on directly to the authorized unit of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor.
Special cases for receiving a foreign worker permit
- an individual who has less than 4 ADL points but answers one of the following criteria:
- an additional disabled person resides in the home
- a mentally retarded individual residing with a parent over the age of 70
- a (partially disabled) parent of more than 2 children under the age of 16 residing together
- a cancer patient requiring treatment and supervision for most of the day
- a couple who are both eligible for nursing benefits (given in special cases)
- an individual in the rehabilitative unit of the Ministry of Defense and a disabled IDF soldier eligible for a companion for at least 17 hours.
Last Step: The Ministry of the Interior
In order to employ a foreign worker a request for a work permit must be submitted to the Ministry of the Interior in the client’s area of residence. Not every foreign worker is eligible for a work permit and must answer criteria determined by the Ministry of the Interior.
Following are major points for the employment of a foreign worker:
- Wages: The employer must pay no less than minimum wage as determined by law. The present minimum wage is 3850.18NIS a month. An employer is entitled to deduct up to 25% from the worker’s wage for expenses.
- Weekly Day of Rest: Usually Saturday-Sunday. The employer is to provide the worker with pocket money and travel expenses of 80 – 100NIS. The day of rest is essential for the caregiver’s spiritual and physical rejuvenation. In most cases members of the family take turns caring for the client on this day or hire a replacement. Matan Welfare Services can be of assistance here.
- Work Day: 8.5 hours of care and housework. The caregiver is entitled to 2 hours of rest during the day. Live-in employment means care when needed beyond the hours of a regular work day.
- Annual holiday: 12 days a year for the first 4 years – paid once a year.
- Religious Holidays: 9 paid days selected from the list of holidays according to country of origin
- Vacation Pay: 5 days the first year, 6 days the second and third years – at the rate of 331NIS a day, updated periodically. Paid once a year.
- Severance Pay: In the case of the caregiver being dismissed, the death of the patient or his being moved to a home for the aged, or an illness which cannot be treated by the caregiver – at the rate of one month’s wages per year of employment.
- Health Insurance: To be paid by the employer according to law
- National Insurance: A file must be opened for the worker
- The Rights of Foreign Workers – Guide
