Every year, thousands of non-Jewish professionals, entrepreneurs, students, volunteers, and family members legally relocate to Israel through a range of immigration pathways. Whether you’re planning a temporary move or hoping to establish long-term residency, the right legal guidance is often the difference between a smooth approval and months of unnecessary delay – or an outright rejection. This is where the immigration team at Decker, Pex & Levi Law Offices comes in.

Work Visas: Building a Career in Israel

Israel’s technology sector, healthcare system, academic institutions, and international businesses continue to attract talent from around the world.

Foreign nationals may qualify for an Israeli work visa through several routes, including:

• Employer-sponsored work permits
• Expert worker visas for highly skilled professionals
• Short-term specialist visas
• Employment with multinational companies operating in Israel

Each visa category has its own eligibility requirements, documentation standards, and approval process, and employers must generally obtain authorization before a foreign employee can begin working. Our attorneys work directly with both employers and employees to structure applications correctly the first time, helping avoid the processing delays that come with incomplete or improperly framed submissions.

Learn more about Israeli work visas: https://lawoffice.org.il/en/work-visa-israel/

Family Reunification and Residency

Marriage is not the only way families relocate to Israel.

Israeli immigration law provides pathways for spouses, common-law partners, parents of IDF soldiers or elderly parents, minor children, and other qualifying family members to apply for legal status under family reunification procedures. These applications often involve multiple stages and require extensive documentation proving the genuine nature of the relationship.

Family reunification cases are also where some of the least-known – and most contested – immigration categories arise. Our firm recently represented a Dutch client, the granddaughter of a family recognized by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations” for saving Jews during the Holocaust, whose application for legal status was initially rejected under a disputed age restriction. Our attorney, Yehoshua Pex, argued that the restriction as applied made the procedure impossible for any grandchild of a Righteous Among the Nations to ever satisfy – and a subsequent Israeli District Court ruling agreed that eligibility should extend to grandchildren regardless of age. It’s an unusual category, but it’s real, and it shows how much can turn on how a case is argued rather than on the rules as written.

Whether the applicant is married to an Israeli citizen, in a long-term partnership, or eligible under a more obscure category like this one, careful preparation – and, when necessary, a willingness to push back on the Interior Ministry’s interpretation – can significantly change the outcome.

Read more about family reunification in Israel: https://lawoffice.org.il/en/spouse-visa-israel/

Student, Volunteer, and Clergy Visas

Not everyone moving to Israel is relocating permanently.

Many foreign nationals arrive each year through temporary visa programs, including:

• Student visas for universities, yeshivot, and accredited educational institutions
• Volunteer visas for nonprofit organizations and humanitarian projects
• Clergy visas for religious workers serving recognized institutions

These visas provide an opportunity to live in Israel legally while pursuing education, volunteer service, or religious work, although they generally do not provide an automatic path to permanent residency. Our team helps applicants choose the right visa category from the outset and, where a longer-term move is the eventual goal, plan a realistic path toward it.

Explore additional Israeli visa options: https://lawoffice.org.il/en/israeli-visas/

Starting a Business or Investing in Israel

Israel continues to rank among the world’s leading innovation hubs, attracting entrepreneurs, technology companies, venture capital, and international investors.

Foreign nationals can:

• Establish Israeli companies
• Open branch offices
• Invest in Israeli startups
• Purchase commercial real estate
• Conduct business with Israeli companies

However, unlike some European countries, Israel does not currently offer a general residency-by-investment or “Golden Visa” program. Creating a company or purchasing property alone does not automatically provide immigration status. Individuals planning to relocate while operating a business usually need an appropriate immigration status in addition to proper corporate and tax planning – and our firm coordinates both sides of that process so clients aren’t left with a business entity but no legal right to run it from Israel.

Learn more about starting a business in Israel: https://lawoffice.org.il/en/company-registration-israel/

Is Israeli Citizenship Possible Without the Law of Return?

While the Law of Return remains Israel’s best-known path to citizenship, it is not the only one. Depending on individual circumstances, foreign nationals may eventually become eligible for permanent residency or citizenship through other legal routes, including long-term family reunification or naturalization under Israeli nationality laws. Each case depends on factors such as residency history, family status, immigration category, and compliance with Israeli legal requirements – and, as our recent cases show, on how well the case is presented to the authorities reviewing it.

For individuals who are eligible under the Law of Return, it remains one of the fastest paths to Israeli citizenship.

Read more about Israeli citizenship options: https://lawoffice.org.il/en/israeli-citizenship/

New Tax Incentives Make 2026 an Attractive Time to Relocate

Recent legislation has introduced significant tax incentives for many new immigrants who make Aliyah according to the Law of Return (Olim) and certain returning Israeli residents.

Among the changes are exemptions and reduced taxation on qualifying foreign-earned income, together with measures designed to reduce tax complications for foreign employers whose employees relocate to Israel. Because these rules contain detailed eligibility requirements, individuals planning an international move should seek legal and tax advice before relocating.

How Decker, Pex & Levi Can Help You Move to Israel

Israeli immigration law combines visa regulations, employment law, family law, tax considerations, and corporate law – and, as our recent cases demonstrate, sometimes a willingness to challenge the Interior Ministry’s own interpretation of its procedures. The right immigration strategy depends entirely on your personal circumstances and goals.

Whether you’re:

• accepting a job in Israel,
• joining your spouse or family,
• launching a startup,
• investing in Israeli businesses,
• pursuing an unusual or contested category of eligibility, or
• exploring long-term residency or citizenship,

the immigration team at Decker, Pex & Levi Law Offices has direct, hands-on experience getting these cases approved – including appealing rejections, litigating disputed procedures, and securing rulings that expand eligibility for future applicants. We assist clients from around the world with Israeli visas, work permits, citizenship applications, family reunification, business immigration, and corporate formation, helping individuals and companies navigate Israel’s legal system with confidence.

If you’re considering a move to Israel in 2026, reach out to our team early in the process – the earlier we’re involved, the more options you typically have.

To learn more about this process, join Israel365 Media and Decker, Pex & Levi on Wednesday, October 21 at 8pm EDT for a webinar on Navigating Israel: Legal Essentials for Immigration, Real Estate, and Investment. Register here: https://my.demio.com/ref/wzFg7gP49qbOLckN

Legal Disclaimer: This content is published in partnership with Decker, Pex & Levi Law Office for informational and promotional purposes only. Israel365 does not provide legal advice, nor does this article represent an official endorsement or legal opinion of Israel365. Immigration laws and regulations vary and change frequently; nothing in this article should be relied upon as a substitute for direct legal counsel. Always consult a licensed attorney regarding your personal background and immigration status.