Saudi Arabia recently introduced a new work visa, known as the “Temporary Work Visa” to replace the previous “Work Visit Visa” and is designed to make it easier for businesses to bring in foreign workers for short-term assignments and should enable employers to resource their commercial activities more readily, a report highlights.
The law firm of Clyde and Co. recently released a note on the new visa available in Saudi Arabia, which highlights the advantages of the new scheme. It notes the Temporary Work Visa must be used within one year of its issue and allows foreign workers to work in KSA for up to 90 days, with the option to extend for an additional 90 days. The visa is valid for multiple entries, meaning that the employees can enter and exit the country as often as they need during the 90-day period.
“One of the biggest advantages of the new visa is that it is much faster and easier to obtain in comparison with the previous Work Visit Visa, as issuing the temporary work visa is immediate and does not require any supporting documents for the employee (eg attested certificates). It is also extendable while the holder is in country. It is not restricted largely to only technical personnel (e.g., engineers) and is not in practice restricted to men (which the old Work Visit Visa were in practice). With the Kingdom experiencing record growth and hosting some of the largest projects in the world, another advantage of the visa is that it could enable greater mobility within multinational employers, in the sense of permitting non-KSA based employees to try work in the Kingdom before making a more permanent move or relocation,” Clyde and Co. writes in its note.
