Israel’s government has approved a plan to recognize licensed professionals who immigrate to the country, granting them temporary approval to remove employment barriers.
The approval will be given before the immigrant moves to Israel, putting them on a fast track to convert their certifications to Israeli standards. This new procedure will start on October 1. Aliyah (immigration) and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer, who proposed the plan, stated, “Integrating the immigrants into employment will help the immigrants integrate very easily and will strengthen the Israeli economy.”
Sofer praised the decision as “a revolutionary and very important decision for the new immigrants.”
Starting January 1, Sofer will promote legislation to ease the path for licensing immigrant professionals. The Aliyah and Integration Ministry will also be allowed to recognize educational institutes from abroad, significantly shortening the process. Additionally, a unified licensing center will open on January 1. This center will gather information for immigrants in various languages, consolidating all relevant information and requirements in one place.
“About 25 percent of immigrants to Israel from Western countries hold professions that require licensing and bring with them abilities and skills that enrich the entire Israeli society,” said Avichai Kahana, director-general of the ministry.
“Studies indicate a statistically significant positive relationship between significant waves of immigration, such as the current wave in Israel, and a 1 percent improvement in labor productivity in the receiving country,” he added.
However, research shows that the regulations and bureaucracy faced by immigrants are among the highest in the world, often taking one and a half to two years to approve licenses.