Saudi Arabia Cuts Work Visa Quotas for New Businesses Under Revised Rules
- Saudi Arabia revised work visa quotas for new businesses, setting limits based on how long the company has been operating
- Businesses under two years old face a strict cap, while older firms can access significantly more visas under the new rules
- Companies enrolled in the Establishing Programme start with a smaller quota that can grow as they meet certain programme milestones
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Saudi Arabia has changed the rules governing how many work visas newly established businesses can obtain, with the limits now tied to a company's age and whether it participates in the country's Establishing Programme.
Immigration services firm Fragomen, which tracks global work authorisation changes, disclosed the new framework and noted that these requirements had not existed under the previous rules.
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How the new visa limits work
According to Economic Times, under the revised system, a business that has been operating for fewer than two years is limited to a maximum of five work visas.
Companies that have been running for more than two years can access up to 50 work visas, either through a single application or through several applications submitted within the same week at the entity level, according to Fragomen.
The distinction between the two groups is significant, as it effectively restricts newer businesses from bringing in large numbers of foreign workers until they have established a longer track record in the kingdom.
Establishing programme companies face a separate path
For businesses enrolled in Saudi Arabia's Establishing Programme, the starting quota is lower still. These companies begin with just two work visas.
The quota can then rise as the business advances through the programme and improves its Nitaqat classification, which is the kingdom's Saudisation rating system used to measure how many Saudi nationals a company employs relative to its total workforce.
A higher Nitaqat rate signals greater compliance with the government's localisation targets, and companies that reach higher brackets stand to unlock more work visa slots over time.
Fragomen confirmed that the revised quotas represent a new layer of regulation that businesses operating in Saudi Arabia must now factor into their workforce planning, particularly those in the early stages of setting up in the country.
Saudi Arabia changes work permit rules
Legit.ng earlier reported that Saudi Arabia has set new limits on the number of work visas that businesses can obtain, with the rules varying based on how long a company has been in operation.
Under the revised framework, businesses that have been running for less than two years are restricted to a maximum of five work visas.
Source: Legit.ng
