Sri Lankan and Indian workers will no longer be eligible for private recruitment to Israel’s construction sector from 1 January 2027, according to a notification from Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority issued on 5 October.
From that date, firms holding permits to employ foreign construction workers may recruit only from countries on an approved list. The list includes Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Romania and Turkey, among others.
The notice said private recruitment from India and Sri Lanka will stop in line with existing bilateral agreements and the established framework. Sri Lankan workers will no longer be hired for Israeli construction through the private system from that date.
An official of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said the bureau had not received a response from the Israeli authority on the matter.
The authority said that when a new bilateral agreement is made with another country, private recruitment from that country will end one month after it takes effect.
