After two years of a stuttering track: Renovation contractors will be able to bring 2,000 foreign workers to Israel via a fast-track procedure

After two "stuttering" years and a government decision that was implemented sluggishly, it seems that the renovation industry will finally receive a boost in the form of bringing in foreign workers via a fast-track route: The Population and Immigration Authority recently approved a temporary procedure for the rapid bringing of foreign workers to Israel for work in the industry. According to the procedure, industry personnel will be able to bring up to 2,000 foreign workers, not through the bilateral route — the only one through which it was possible to bring foreign workers for renovations until today.

The new procedure comes after two full years in which the way to bring foreign workers to the renovation industry proceeded sluggishly: in July 2024, a decision was made by the special directors-general committee on the issue of foreign workers, according to which a quota of 5,000 foreign workers was allocated to the renovation industry — a sub-sector of the construction industry, which until then suffered from a severe shortage of working hands, as a very large percentage of the workers in it were Palestinian laborers, whose entry has been prohibited since the events of October 7, 2023.

However, this quota was allocated to the industry only through the bilateral route — a route for bringing workers only from countries with which Israel has signed agreements for bringing workers. The data since the decision show that this route was ineffective: for two years, only about 960 were brought through this route, despite the great urgency and the severe shortage in the industry, and furthermore, many of them were found to be unsuitable, and about 15% of them even disappeared from their employers over time.

2,000 workers, out of the 5,000 quota

Now, the Population and Immigration Authority allows bringing 2,000 workers, out of the 5,000 quota that was approved, not within the framework of bilateral agreements. The move is possible "since the representatives of the corporations authorized to serve as manpower contractors for employing foreign workers in the construction industry informed the Authority's representatives that they have the knowledge and ability to recruit and bring in new foreign workers to the renovation industry immediately and during the current period of fighting," according to the Authority, which emphasizes that in parallel, the government ministries will continue to work to implement existing bilateral agreements and to enter into new bilateral arrangements.

The new procedure includes several key caveats:

• The quota for bringing workers through this route will be up to 2,000.

• The entry of foreign workers brought through this route will be possible until February 1, 2027.

• Ordering foreign workers is permitted only from countries ranked Tier 1 and Tier 2 in the US State Department's annual report on human trafficking, and which have been approved by the Population and Immigration Authority in Israel.

• Requests for bringing foreign workers will be possible only from an authorized corporation, holding a dedicated permit for employing foreign workers in the renovation industry.

• A foreign worker entering Israel according to this procedure will be able to stay in Israel for a maximum of 63 months.

• The foreign worker must be a male aged 21-45, without a criminal record, physically and mentally healthy, and possess proven professional skills in renovation work, and who has not worked in Israel in the past.

Chairman of the Renovation Contractors Association, Eran Sib, stated:

"This is a huge achievement for the Association. Bringing workers within the framework of bilateral agreements did not provide a sufficient response to the industry, the quotas were not filled, and the workers who arrived in the country were not professional enough, and many of those who did learn the work — fled and went to work in other places. I believe that now, that the corporations are the ones who will examine the workers with the help of the Renovation Contractors Association, we will be able to receive professional workers within a short time. The decision will significantly improve the situation of the industry."