Possible Slowdown in Caregiver Deployment in Israel

March 2009POEA MARKET UPDATE NO. 06-09POSSIBLE SLOWDOWN IN CAREGIVER DEPLOYMENT IN ISRAELThe Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel has reported on the possibility of a slowdown in the deployment of caregivers to Israel in the coming months of 2009 due to the "legalization program." The slowdown is not directly related to the global financial crisis but is a response to the illegal immigration debate in Israel which has been going on for the last few years. The objective of the legalization program is to eliminate undocumented workers or illegally staying foreigners. This would mean a strict policy of allowing only replacements for workers whose employers or agencies have shown that the ones being replaced have been sent home. However, this policy does not mean that there will be no new issuances of visas for those demonstrating newly-found requirements for foreign workers.The program could have a positive effect in regularizing former caregivers who could still be issued a working visa since it would put them out of danger of being deported once a crackdown on undocumented...