Moving to the USA for Israelis: Visa and Residence Routes, from ESTA and the E-2 Investor Visa to the Green Card and Citizenship

1Does an Israeli need a visa to live in the USA?

Yes. Since Israel joined the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), an Israeli citizen can come to the USA for tourism or business for up to 90 days with an electronic travel authorisation (ESTA), without obtaining a visa at the embassy. But living, working or studying there requires an appropriate immigration status, i.e. a temporary visa of the right type or a green card.

Israel's designation into the programme was announced on 27 September 2023, and ESTA authorisations for Israelis opened at the end of 2023. Anyone holding a valid tourist and business visa (B-1/B-2) can continue to use it.

• Length of stay: up to 90 days per entry, for tourism, business or transit.
• Validity of the authorisation: usually two years, or until the passport expires, whichever is earlier. A biometric passport is required.
• Fee: according to reports, since 30 September 2025 the fee has been 40 dollars per application. Apply only on the official website of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or in the official app.
• What is not allowed: ESTA does not permit work for a US employer or full-time study, and usually does not allow you to extend your stay or change status from within the USA.
• The decision at the border: ESTA authorisation does not determine that the traveller will be admitted. The border officer decides on entry at arrival.

2Which legal routes exist for Israelis who want to live in the USA?

The USA has no “retiree” visa or “digital nomad” visa like some European countries. The routes divide into temporary (nonimmigrant) visas, linked to a business, an employer or studies, and permanent residence (green card), which comes through family, an employer or investment. The table summarises the routes relevant to Israelis.

3What is the E-2 investor visa, and why is it the common route for Israeli entrepreneurs?

The E-2 visa (Treaty Investor) is intended for a national of a treaty country who has invested, or is in the process of investing, a substantial amount in an operating US business, and is coming to develop and direct it. According to the US State Department's table of treaty countries, Israeli citizens have been eligible for it since 1 May 2019. It is a temporary visa, but it can be renewed again and again as long as the business operates and the conditions are met.

• Nationality: the investor must be an Israeli citizen. Where the investor is a company, at least 50% of its ownership must be held by Israeli citizens.
• Substantial investment: the law does not set a minimum amount. The investment is examined in relation to the cost of the business, and must be at risk and committed to the business, not just money waiting in an account.
• A real and operating business: commercial activity that produces services or goods. A passive holding, such as an investment apartment or land, is usually not enough.
• Develop and direct: the investor holds at least 50% of the business, or controls it operationally through a managerial role.
• A business that is not marginal: the business must be able to generate more than a minimal living for the investor and their family, or reach that within five years for a new business.
• Employees: Israeli employees in managerial roles or with essential expertise can also receive an E-2 through the business.

According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the initial period of stay is up to two years, extensions are granted in periods of up to two years with no limit on their number, and on each return to the USA the visa holder usually receives a new two-year period. The spouse is authorised to work by virtue of the status itself, and unmarried children under 21 join as dependants. How to build the business itself is explained in the guide An Israeli company doing business in the USA and in the guide A US LLC for Israelis.

4What is the difference between the E-1 visa and the E-2 visa?

The treaty trader visa (E-1, Treaty Trader) is based on trade rather than investment. It suits an Israeli business owner conducting a substantial and continuing volume of trade between Israel and the USA, for example import and export of goods or services. According to the State Department table, Israelis' eligibility for E-1 exists by virtue of a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation that entered into force on 3 April 1954, long before E-2 opened. The advantage: no large investment in the USA is needed. The disadvantage: documentation of a real and continuous flow of trade is required.

5How do you move to the USA through the Israeli company (L-1 visa)?

The L-1 visa is for an employee of a foreign company who transfers to a related company in the USA, such as a subsidiary, branch or affiliate. The owner of an Israeli company who sets up a US subsidiary can sometimes transfer themselves this way, as a manager or executive (L-1A).

• At least one continuous year of work at the related company outside the USA, within the three years before entry.
• A proven legal relationship between the companies, both doing business in the USA and in at least one other country.
• For a new office: a physical premises already secured by contract, and a plan showing that the US operation will justify a managerial role within a year. The initial approval for a new office is for one year only.
• An initial period of up to three years, extensions of up to two years, and up to seven years in total for managers and executives.
• The spouse in L-2 status is authorised to work by virtue of the status. Unlike E-2, L-1A can serve as a basis for a green card application through the employer.

6When do the H-1B and O-1 visas fit?

H-1B is for an employee in an occupation requiring a degree, with a US employer that files a petition for them. Most new petitions are subject to an annual cap and a lottery. Under a final rule published in December 2025, starting with the registration season for fiscal year 2027 the lottery is weighted by the level of the offered wage, so higher-paid positions have a better chance. In September 2025 a presidential proclamation was published imposing a payment of 100,000 dollars on new petitions for workers outside the USA, and according to reports a federal court set aside the implementing policy in June 2026. The legal position is changing, and it should be checked before every filing.

O-1 is for those who can prove extraordinary ability and sustained national or international acclaim, for example in science, business, the arts or sport. It does not depend on a lottery. The petition is filed by a US employer or a US agent, together with an advisory opinion from a peer group or an expert in the field. The initial approval is for up to three years, and extensions are in periods of up to one year.

7Can you get a green card through investment (EB-5)?

Yes. The EB-5 route grants permanent residence to an investor who invests in a new US business and creates jobs in it. According to USCIS, for petitions filed from 15 March 2022 the minimum investment is 1,050,000 dollars, or 800,000 dollars in a targeted employment area (TEA) or an infrastructure project. The investment must support at least 10 full-time jobs for US workers, and in an investment through a Regional Center up to 90% of the jobs can be indirect.

The amounts are index-linked and will be updated every five years, and the first update will apply to petitions filed from 1 January 2027. Anyone considering EB-5 at this stage should check the updated amounts and the timetable. In addition, in September 2025 a “Gold Card” programme was announced in exchange for a contribution of one million dollars per individual, but its actual implementation is still unclear, so no decision should be based on it without an up-to-date check.

8How does a family green card work, and what about students?

• Immediate relatives of a US citizen: a spouse, an unmarried child under 21, and a parent of a citizen aged 21 or over. According to USCIS, there is no annual quota for this category.
• Family preference categories: adult or married children of citizens, siblings of citizens, and family members of green card holders. These are subject to quotas, and waiting times can be very long.
• Students (F-1): suitable for a degree or studies at a recognised institution. Family members enter as dependants without work authorisation, and the student's own work is restricted under the visa rules.
• Those born to a US citizen: an Israeli with a parent who is a US citizen may be a citizen from birth themselves, subject to the conditions of the law. It is worth checking this before choosing a visa.

9Where do you file the application, and what does the process look like?

Most temporary visas are filed in two stages: a petition to USCIS (in routes such as L-1, H-1B and O-1), followed by an interview at the embassy or consulate. For E-2 and E-1 the application is usually filed directly with the consulate. Since September 2025 the US State Department has instructed applicants for temporary visas to schedule an interview in their country of nationality or residence, so an Israeli living in Israel will apply at the embassy or consulate in Israel.

1. Checking eligibility: examining the appropriate route according to the purpose (business, work, family, study) and your assets and experience.
2. Tax planning in parallel: before investing or moving, check when you will become US tax residents and what happens in Israel.
3. Setting up the business structure: for E-2 and L-1, set up a US company, open a bank account and actually make the investment.
4. Preparing documents: passports, birth and marriage certificates, a business plan, evidence of the investment and the source of funds, and English translations.
5. Filing: a petition to USCIS or an online application form for the consulate, and payment of the fees.
6. Interview: at the embassy or consulate in Israel, with all the original documents.
7. Entry and settling in: entering the USA in the new status, checking the arrival record (I-94), a US Social Security number for those authorised to work, and school enrolment.
8. Follow-up: recording expiry dates, renewals and filing the first tax returns.

10Which documents from Israel should you prepare in advance?

• A valid Israeli passport for all family members, preferably with long validity.
• Birth and marriage certificates, and if needed a divorce judgment or custody agreement.
• A police certificate (criminal record), mainly for immigrant visas.
• A certified English translation of every document not in English, and checking whether an apostille is required according to the type of application.
• Evidence of the source of funds: bank statements, sale agreements, tax returns and accountant's confirmations.
• Education certificates and employment confirmations, for work routes and O-1.
• The other parent's consent to taking a minor abroad, where the parents are separated.

11When can you get US citizenship?

Citizenship (naturalisation) is available only to those who have received permanent residence. According to USCIS, a green card holder may as a rule apply after five years of permanent residence and continuous residence, with physical presence of at least 30 months within that period and three months of residence in the state where they apply. Someone married to a US citizen and living with them may apply after three years, with 18 months of physical presence. Years in a temporary status such as E-2 or L-1 do not count for this purpose.

12What does the move mean for tax?

Receiving a green card makes you US tax residents liable to tax on your worldwide income, and a long stay in a temporary status may also do so under the substantial presence test. At the same time, Israel may continue to treat you as residents. This is why tax should be planned before arrival, not after. These aspects are covered in the guide on US tax residency for Israelis, and estate tax is explained in the guide US estate tax.

13What happens with my spouse and children?

• E-2 and L-1: the spouse is authorised to work by virtue of the status, and the children have the right to study in the education system.
• H-1B: the spouse (H-4) is not automatically authorised to work, only under certain conditions.
• F-1: dependent family members are not authorised to work.
• Age 21: a child who reaches age 21 loses dependant status in most temporary visas, and needs an independent route, for example a student visa.
• Green card: in EB-5 and employment routes, the spouse and unmarried children under 21 are included in the application.

General background on US law and its implications for Israeli investors appears in the legal guide to the USA. This guide is general information, and every case requires an individual review with a US immigration lawyer.

More on relocating to the USA: US tax residency · Ending Israeli tax residency · Moving abroad with an Israeli company or business · The legal checklist for families

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