According to a shocking report released this week by Israeli NGO Kav LaOved (the Workers Hotline), foreign care workers who come to work in Israel pay on average $8,400 to middlemen in order to obtain work visas in the country.   The payments are almost made in cash and are illegal.

The organization blames the lack of bilateral agreements between Israel and the source countries for the problem.

The sum paid on average has been rising steadily, going up by $2,400 in the last five years.  And while it used to be paid by the migrant workers in their home countries, today some or even all of the amount is paid to middle-men in Israel.

Some 46% of the workers surveyed reported that they’d paid Israeli middlemen  sums of, on average, 75% of the total they have paid.

The money is paid in cash, and not reported to the authorities.

Kav LaOved has called upon the government to negotiate bilateral agreements with the countries providing migrant workers, and has asked the police to look into the matter.