Instant visa service for expat workers launched in Saudi Arabia

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The move will enable private sector firms to obtain visa instantly.

By Web Report

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Published: Wed 21 Aug 2019, 9:50 AM

Last updated: Wed 21 Aug 2019, 12:05 PM

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Labor and Social Development on Monday launched instant labor visa service through its Qiwa electronic portal.
According to reports in Saudi Gazette, the move will enable private sector firms to obtain visa instantly instead of following the normal visa process which takes up around eight months. However, only those private sector firms will benefit which have achieved higher percentage of Saudization and full compliance of the ministry's regulations.
The move will help achieve significant growth in Saudization rates through applying a formula of "localisation versus instant recruitment" as the employer will be able to obtain any number of visas in the event of achieving higher rate of Saudization in the firm.
The ministry has set a number of conditions for obtaining the service, under which only those firms that are in the category of medium green and above in terms of the percentage of Saudization are eligible.
The firm shall remain in the medium green category for 13 consecutive weeks or 26 intermittent weeks during the past 52 weeks. Similarly, the firm shall have a valid work permit and full compliance with the Wage Protection Program.
Through the Qiwa platform, the ministry aims to make a quantum leap in the labor market with ensuring an enhanced efficiency of all sectors. Private employers can now register for the service via the standard link.




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