Saudi Arabia tightens visa rules, foreign workers face new recruitment hurdles

Saudi Arabia has introduced revised limits on instant work visas for businesses seeking to recruit foreign workers, with newly established companies now restricted to a maximum of five visas during their first two years of operation.

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

The changes were highlighted in a recent regulatory update by immigration services firm Fragomen and are linked to Saudi Arabia’s broader efforts to regulate foreign labour recruitment, strengthen compliance and advance the localisation of jobs for Saudi nationals.

The revised framework is administered through Qiwa, the digital labour platform operated by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, MHRSD.

The new limits represent a significant change for businesses that rely on foreign workers, particularly newly established companies that may need expatriate employees during their early stages of operation.

According to the updated rules, companies operating for less than two years can obtain up to five instant work visas.

Businesses that have been operating for more than two years, however, can access up to 50 visas, either in one application or through multiple applications during the same week at the company level.

The revised framework also provides a separate pathway for businesses participating in the Establishment Programme.

Such businesses that meet the prescribed requirements will initially receive two work visas, with their allocation capable of increasing as they progress through the programme and improve their Saudisation rate under the Nitaqat system.

The changes effectively tie access to foreign labour more closely to the maturity of a business, its compliance record and its employment of Saudi nationals.

Saudi Arabia has been pursuing a broader localisation strategy under its Vision 2030 programme, with the government seeking to increase the participation of Saudi citizens in private-sector employment while ensuring that foreign workers recruited into the country possess skills required by the labour market.

The Ministry has also introduced a separate work-permit classification system for non-Saudi workers based on skill categories. The classification considers factors including educational qualifications, professional experience, professional skills, wages and age.

The ministry said the skills-based classification was designed to improve the recruitment of qualified workers, facilitate the transfer of expertise to the Saudi labour market and ensure that foreign workers possess competencies that meet the needs of the Kingdom’s economy.

The classification was implemented in two stages, beginning with workers already employed in Saudi Arabia in July 2025 and extending to incoming foreign workers from August 3, 2025.

Conditions for recruiting foreign workers

Under the revised Qiwa framework, businesses seeking to recruit non-Saudi workers from outside the Kingdom must satisfy a number of conditions.

The establishment must be active and have valid work permits for its existing employees. Where applicable, its commercial registration must also be valid.

The business must also meet the required Saudisation threshold and be classified at least within the Medium Green category under the Nitaqat programme.

Employers are further required to comply with the Wage Protection System and have no outstanding labour-compliance issues.

Other requirements include maintaining sufficient financial credit on Saudi government platforms such as Absher or Muqeem and completing the annual self-assessment requirement for establishments with 10 or more employees.

Businesses must also assign employee work locations through the Qiwa platform, while the employer must be at least 18 years old.

In addition, the establishment must have an available recruitment quota corresponding to the type of visa being requested.

The requirements mean that businesses cannot simply apply for foreign workers based solely on their staffing needs. Their ability to obtain visas is increasingly dependent on their compliance with Saudi labour regulations and their performance in the country’s localisation programme.

Three categories of work visas

The Qiwa platform identifies three major categories of work visas available under its recruitment system.

The first is the permanent work visa, which is issued for the employment of non-Saudi workers under long-term employment contracts.

The second is the temporary work visa, designed for short-term employment contracts of up to three months.

The third is the Hajj and Umrah temporary work visa, which is intended for workers employed during the Hajj and Umrah seasons and is subject to approval from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

The Saudi government also provides an electronic service through which businesses can request a recruitment balance for establishing or expanding their operations. The service allows eligible businesses to apply for new work visas and view information relating to their permanent work-visa recruitment balance.

Impact on foreign workers

The revised rules are expected to have implications for foreign workers seeking employment in Saudi Arabia, particularly those recruited by newly established businesses.

For foreign job seekers, the new framework could mean fewer opportunities with recently established companies, as such businesses will face a lower ceiling on the number of foreign workers they can bring into the Kingdom.

Existing companies with longer operating histories may have considerably greater capacity to recruit foreign workers, provided they satisfy the relevant compliance and Saudisation requirements.

The framework also gives businesses an incentive to improve their localisation performance because companies participating in the Establishment Programme can increase their visa allocations as they progress through the programme and achieve higher Nitaqat ratings.

For employers, the changes could require greater workforce planning, particularly for companies that depend heavily on expatriate workers to launch or expand operations.

KPMG said the revised rules could affect recruitment timelines, workforce planning and operational flexibility for businesses employing foreign nationals.

The firm advised employers to review their compliance with the requirements before initiating recruitment and to ensure that documentation, employee work locations, self-assessments and other Qiwa-related obligations are up to date.

Part of wider labour-market reforms

The latest visa restrictions come amid a broader restructuring of Saudi Arabia’s labour market.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development says the employment of non-Saudis is subject to work-permit requirements and that foreign workers must possess the professional competencies or academic qualifications required by the country where suitably qualified Saudi workers are unavailable or insufficient.

Saudi labour regulations also give the ministry powers to refuse renewal of work permits where employers violate nationalisation requirements or other applicable regulations.

The Kingdom’s wider localisation drive has increasingly focused on matching the recruitment of foreign workers with actual labour-market needs while creating greater opportunities for Saudi citizens.

The new visa framework therefore places greater emphasis on business maturity, Saudisation and regulatory compliance before companies can expand their foreign workforce.

For Nigerian and other African workers seeking employment in Saudi Arabia, the changes underline the importance of securing employment with established and compliant employers, while businesses planning to recruit from abroad will need to factor the new visa ceilings into their manpower and expansion plans.