ISRAEL – End of Strike at Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As of Thursday, April 3, the strike at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Israel has ended, bringing to an end a month-long closure of all Israeli consular services abroad.
Agreement
On April 2, staff of the MFA finally reached an agreement with the Ministry of Finance. According to the agreement, wages of Israeli diplomats will be determined by an objective model used in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for wages, and in accordance with the cost of living in each country.
Backlog
Visa applicants and their employers are expected to continue to experience significant processing delays due to application backlogs that developed during the strike. The Ministry has not provided estimates on how long it will take to clear the backlogs, but has stated they will make a concerted effort to do so. Visa applicants and their employers should be aware that processing delays will vary between Israeli consular posts.