Saudi Arabia limits instant work visas to five for businesses under two years

Saudi Arabia has reduced the maximum number of instant work visas available to newly established businesses to five, as part of measures aimed at regulating recruitment and encouraging compliance with labour market requirements, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's Qiwa platform said.

Qiwa said businesses that have been operating for less than two years will be eligible for a maximum of five instant visas. For companies older than two years, the limit rises to 50 visas in a single application or multiple applications submitted within the same week at the entity level.

The platform said businesses enrolled in the Establishment Programme and meeting the required criteria would initially receive two visas, with additional visa allocations available after increasing their Saudisation rates.

Qiwa also outlined 10 conditions for recruiting non-Saudi workers from abroad. These include maintaining an active business status, holding valid work permits for employees, possessing a valid commercial registration, meeting Saudisation requirements by remaining in the medium green category or above, complying with the Wage Protection System, and maintaining sufficient balances on government platforms such as Absher or Muqeem.

Additional requirements include annual self-assessment compliance for firms employing 10 or more workers, registering employee work locations on the Qiwa platform, ensuring the employer is at least 18 years old, and maintaining sufficient recruitment quota balances based on the visa type.