Cairo: Saudi Arabia has allowed the issuance of quarterly residency permits linked to labour licences for migrant workers, a step allowing partitioning related fees.
The Saudi government has approved issuing and renewing such permits for a minimum of three months and splitting up fees charged on labour and residency permits, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.
Based on the new decision taken at a weekly cabinet meeting, the fees will hinge on the duration of the issued and renewed permits. Domestic workers are excluded from the arrangement.
Labour licences in Saudi Arabia are issued for expatriates to allow them to be legal workers and residents.
Foreigners account for around 10.5 million of Saudi Arabia’s total population of 34.8 million people.
Last November, Saudi Arabia disclosed labour reforms, drastically revamping the country’s sponsorship system.. Millions of migrant workers stand to benefit from the reforms, which will come into effect in March.
They allow job mobility and regulate the exit and re-entry visa issuance for expatriate workers without employers’ approval.
Employee mobility will allow expatriate workers to transfer between employers upon the expiry of the binding work contract without the employer’s consent.
The exit and re-entry visa reforms will allow expatriate workers to travel outside Saudi Arabia without the employers’ approval after submitting a request.
