Israel eases licensing barriers for new immigrant psychologists

Move follows similar efforts to smooth the path for practitioners of other regulated professions, comes amid a manpower shortage in health sector

The government on Sunday approved a plan to ease licensing requirements for immigrant psychologists, allowing officials to be more flexible in evaluating psychology degrees, clinical training and professional experience obtained outside Israel.

Under the decision, put forward by Health Minister Haim Katz and Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer, licensing authorities will be able to consider differences in psychology training programs across countries and recognize foreign qualifications as equivalent to Israeli requirements when they meet legal and professional standards.

About 50 psychologists from around the world have already applied this year to immigrate to Israel and practice their profession, the ministries said. The new policy will allow professional committees to begin reviewing their credentials even before they arrive in the country.

“Today, the State of Israel needs mental health professionals more than ever,” Sofer said. “Immigration brings high-quality and experienced human capital, and it is our duty to remove unnecessary barriers that prevent professionals from integrating into their profession.”

The move follows similar efforts to remove licensing barriers for other regulated professions, and comes amid a widespread lack of psychologists to deal with the mental health crisis since October 7, 2023.

Immigrants have long complained that Israel’s lengthy licensing processes for professions like medicine, engineering, social work, education, and finance prevent them from finding jobs in their fields, and in some cases, discourage them from moving to Israel.

More than 1,000 immigrant physicians have joined Israel’s health system over the past two years through initiatives designed to streamline the process, through a joint program with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Development of the Negev and Galilee, the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry said.

Other efforts to increase immigration in recent years have included offering new immigrants and returning residents arriving in 2026 a zero-percent income tax rate for their first two years, and an exemption for self-employed US citizens from double-paying social security for their first five years.

A total of 22,522 new immigrants arrived in 2025, including some 8,500 from Western countries like the United States, France, Britain, and Canada, according to the Immigration and Absorption Ministry.

The Central Bureau of Statistics has previously said more than 69,000 Israelis left the country in 2025, indicating a negative migration balance for the second straight year.