VoxxArrive · Saudi Arabia onboarding topic
Saudi Arabia work visa and residency: the Qiwa block-visa route (2025-2026)
Saudi Arabia's employer-led work visa process runs through the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's (MHRSD) Qiwa digital platform: employers first secure a block visa quota (a pre-approved headcount of foreign hires tied to their commercial registration and Nitaqat/Saudization band), then obtain a visa authorization number for each named hire, before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Saudi embassy or consulate in the worker's home country handle visa issuance and passport stamping. Since the Labor Reform Initiative (LRI) took effect on March 14, 2021, expatriate private-sector workers no longer need employer consent to change jobs once BOTH their employment contract has ended AND they have completed a minimum of one year of service counted from their date of entry into Saudi Arabia (workers who have not met both conditions still need the current employer/sponsor's approval to transfer); the same reform also removed the employer-consent requirement for Exit/Re-Entry and Final Exit visas via the Absher platform (the employer gets an electronic notification and a 10-day objection window rather than a veto). In 2025 MHRSD also rolled out a skill-based classification system (High-Skilled, Skilled, Basic, per the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations/SSCO, announced July 6, 2025 and phased in from July-August 2025) that gates which visa route and permit tier a role qualifies for.
Steps
- Confirm Nitaqat/Saudization standing and register on Qiwa - The employer's commercial registration must be active on Qiwa and in an acceptable Nitaqat (Saudization) band before MHRSD will allocate any foreign-hire quota.
- Request block visa quota allocation - Through Qiwa, the employer applies to MHRSD for a block visa - a pre-approved number of foreign workers it may recruit, sized against its commercial registration and Nitaqat compliance.
- Classify the role and obtain a visa authorization number - For each named hire the employer classifies the job under the 2025 skill-based (SSCO) tiers in Qiwa (High-Skilled, Skilled, or Basic) and obtains an individual visa authorization number from MHRSD, which is required before the consular stage.
- Submit the visa application via the MOFA portal - The employer or its agent lodges the worker's visa request with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which issues approval for the Saudi embassy/consulate to act on.
- Worker completes medical clearance and embassy stamping - The candidate undergoes the required medical test (Wafid) and any document attestation, then attends the Saudi embassy or consulate in their home country to have the visa stamped into their passport.
- Entry, Iqama issuance, and Qiwa work permit finalization - After arrival the employer registers the worker's residency (Iqama) and finalizes the electronic work permit on Qiwa; from this point the worker is covered by LRI job-mobility and exit/re-entry protections (job mobility itself only becomes available once the worker also completes the one-year minimum service period).
Timeline
Roughly 2-8 weeks end-to-end in normal circumstances: a few days to secure the Qiwa block-visa/MOFA authorization, about 1-2 weeks for embassy stamping (longer, up to several weeks, if degree/document attestation is still outstanding), then roughly 1-3 weeks after arrival to complete Iqama and work permit issuance. Note that MHRSD has periodically paused block-visa issuance for specific nationalities around peak periods (e.g., a 2025 Hajj-season suspension affecting 14 countries), which can add delay for those nationalities.
Cost & fees
Employers typically bear the block/individual visa fee, Iqama issuance and annual renewal fees, the monthly expatriate levy (which scales with company size and Nitaqat band), and dependent levies where applicable; the worker generally covers the Wafid medical test and any Dataflow/credential verification fee. Exact SAR amounts vary by source and were not confirmed against an official MHRSD fee schedule this session, so are listed as unverified rather than asserted as fact.
Some figures on this page vary by jurisdiction, zone or nationality, or could not be independently confirmed from a public source at time of writing - confirm the current figure with the regulator before relying on it.
Sources
- Qiwa (MHRSD digital platform) - How to issue permanent work visas
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development - Visa Issuance Service
- Fragomen - Additional Details Released on Labor Reform Initiative for the Private Sector
- Envoy Global - Saudi Arabia Temporarily Suspends Block Work Visa Quotas
- Saudi Gazette - Saudi Arabia launches labor reforms; regulates Exit and Re-Entry Visa issuance
- Erickson Immigration Group (EIG Law) - Saudi Arabia Introduces Skill-Based Classification for Work Permits
Frequently asked
What is a block visa and why does an employer need one before hiring?
A block visa is a pre-approval granted by MHRSD via Qiwa that lets a company recruit a set number of foreign nationals; it is sized against the employer's commercial registration and Nitaqat (Saudization) compliance and must be secured before individual visa authorization numbers can be issued for named hires.
Can a foreign employee change employers without the sponsor's consent?
Only once two conditions are both met: the employment contract has ended, and the worker has completed a minimum of one year of service counted from their date of entry into Saudi Arabia. Under the Labor Reform Initiative effective March 14, 2021, a worker who satisfies both conditions can move to a new employer through Qiwa without the current employer's consent; the new employer initiates the transfer and a notice period applies unless both parties agree to shorten it. A worker who has not met both conditions can still change employers, but needs the current sponsor's approval to do so.
Do employees still need employer approval to travel or do a final exit?
No. Since the LRI reforms, workers request Exit/Re-Entry and Final Exit visas themselves via Absher without needing the employer's sign-off (domestic workers are excluded). The employer is notified electronically and has a 10-day window to object, but cannot unilaterally block the request.
How does the 2025 skill-based classification affect the visa process?
MHRSD introduced a tiered classification (High-Skilled, Skilled, Basic) based on the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations (SSCO), announced July 6, 2025 and phased in for existing and new workers over July-August 2025, that employers must apply correctly in Qiwa when classifying a role; misclassification can trigger fines, hiring restrictions, or permit suspensions, and the tier assigned affects which permit route applies.