Bad news for low-wage India, Pakistan, Bangladesh workers in Saudi Arabia as Riyadh launches new visa rules

Saudi Arabia’s new visa policy now takes into legend an expat’s abilities, ride, and wage, categorizing them into three tiers: high-knowledgeable, knowledgeable, and basic, as reported by TOI. This visa policy change coincides with the nation’s Vision 2030 agenda and helps the nation’s worthy national projects equivalent to NEOM and Qiddiya. The new gadget will completely desire mavens and high-wage earners; on the other hand, it may per chance per chance negatively have an effect on low-wage staff by reducing their opportunities. Also, companies should now comply with beforehand unused compliance criteria equivalent to more formal documentation and verification.

What's the new visa rule in Saudi Arabia?

For years, expats in Saudi Arabia had been judged on itsy-bitsy more than their job titles. Cleaners, technicians, and surgeons with the comparable iqama (space enable) had been given the comparable space despite their abilities or abilities. That is altering. As of July 2025, Saudi Arabia will maintain completely implemented a brand new work enable gadget that will preserve in tips a individual’s exact qualifications, work ancient past, and wage. Briefly, to any extent further, it's miles worth more than real a title; jobs will seemingly be in step with the abilities and tag a individual can unquestionably provide.

How will the new Visa Rule in Saudi affect expats?

In step with the Occasions of India story, the new framework classifies crew into a space of three classifications or classes. They're

• Extremely-knowledgeable crew: Experts in areas equivalent to engineering, medication, AI, and so forth.
• Expert crew: Group in technical trades, supervisory positions, and so forth.
• Usual crew: Group in physical work, equivalent to:- Drivers, cleaners, or loaders

All of here's performed via Qiwa, a digital platform bustle by the Ministry of Human Resources. The new scoring gadget considers a diversity of issues, in conjunction with educational background, work ride, age, month-to-month wage, and so forth.

The national idea seeks to plod the nation beyond its reliance on oil and into new industries: tourism, abilities, and innovation. Saudi Arabia wants talent from across the globe to create that change; folks that will build, code, get, and lead. The principle projects that are central to this vision include: NEOM – a $500 billion clear city of the long bustle, Qiddiya – a worthy-scale tradition and leisure development, The Crimson Sea Project – a luxury eco-tourism, and Diriyah Gate – excited about restoring Saudi Arabia’s ancient and cultural id.

What are the new changes expats prefer to face?

For expatriates already residing in Saudi Arabia, the changes began to raise perform in mid-June 2025, and the govt. has equipped most modern employers till August 3 to change their staff’ files. The story further mentions that if a individual is a talented, these changes may per chance be in his/her favour:

In case your training and ride enable you, you may undercover agent sooner enable renewals.
One may presumably maintain more job strategies in assorted sectors.
One may bring collectively it more uncomplicated to preserve long-time-frame residency and sponsor household.

Sadly, if one falls into the basic category, one may undercover agent:

• More documentation to present.
• Delays in having your visa processed.
• Challenges in altering jobs and renewing permits.
  The change does no longer suggest that folks are kicked out; it strategy the requirements are getting more challenging, in particular for low-wage.

As stated by the Saudi Press Company (SPA), the initiative presented by Minister of Human Resources and Social Constructing Ahmed al-Rajhi will categorize foreign crew into three categories: high-talent, knowledgeable, and basic. As per Saudi Press Company (SPA), the three factors will seemingly be in step with the extent of the qualifications, the length of carrier as work ride, abilities learned and the wage stage, and age.

As per SPA, the ministry stated it developed the new gadget to “beef up employee efficiency, attract world talent to transfer abilities and ride to the Saudi labor market, beef up operational effectivity, raise pleasure in global ride, and build an ambiance that helps innovation and the enchancment of change fashions.”