Saudi Arabia Introduces New Work Visa Limits For Businesses

Saudi Arabia has introduced new limits on the number of work visas businesses can obtain, with different quotas now applying to newly established and more established companies.

According to the Economic Times, under the revised framework, businesses that have operated for less than two years can obtain up to five work visas, while companies operating for more than two years can obtain up to 50 visas.

The changes are expected to affect foreign workers seeking employment in Saudi Arabia, particularly those relying on smaller or recently established companies for sponsorship.

Businesses participating in the Establishing Programme will be subject to separate rules. Such companies will initially receive a quota of two work visas, with the quota increasing as they progress through the programme and achieve higher Nitaqat classifications.

Nitaqat is Saudi Arabia’s system for categorising employers based on the composition of their workforce and the employment of Saudi nationals.