Saudi Arabia announces new rules for instant work visas

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced new regulations governing instant work visas through the Qiwa platform, introducing revised limits and eligibility requirements for businesses seeking to recruit foreign workers.

According to local media reports, the Qiwa platform stated that newly established businesses operating for less than two years will now be eligible for a maximum of five instant visas.

Companies that have been operating for more than two years may obtain up to 50 instant visas, either through a single application or multiple applications submitted at the entity level within the same week.

Qiwa also clarified that businesses enrolled in the establishment program and meeting the required criteria will initially receive two visas. The allocation may be increased if the company achieves a higher Saudization rate.

The platform outlined 10 key conditions that establishments must meet to recruit non-Saudi workers from outside the Kingdom.

According to the requirements, the establishment must be active, and all employees must hold valid work permits. The company’s commercial registration must also be valid, except in cases where a commercial registration is not legally required.

In addition, the establishment must fall within the Medium Green category or higher under the Saudization program and comply with the Wage Protection System without any outstanding compliance violations.

Businesses must also maintain sufficient financial credit on Ministry of Interior platforms, including Absher and Muqeem, complete the annual self-assessment requirement where applicable, and comply with employee work-location registration through the Qiwa platform.

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The employer must be at least 18 years old, and the establishment must have an available recruitment quota based on the type of visa requested.

Qiwa further explained that employers can apply for three categories of work visas.

Permanent work visas are issued for the long-term employment of non-Saudi workers under regular employment contracts.

Temporary work visas are available for short-term employment contracts lasting up to three months.

Meanwhile, temporary Hajj and Umrah work visas are designated for workers hired during the Hajj and Umrah seasons and are issued subject to approval by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

The new regulations are aimed at streamlining the recruitment process while ensuring compliance with labor market policies and Saudization requirements.