DM Monitoring
RIYADH: As part of a sweeping policy revision to lure and keep top global talent, Saudi Arabia has also rolled out a revised visa system that enables select foreign nationals – identified as possessing elite skills and expertise – to apply for entry permits for their family members at the same time they issue a visa for themselves.
The new, simplified process has been introduced by the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.
Historically, primary candidates had to first enter the Kingdom, secure a residence permit known as Iqama, and then go through many other administrative steps before allowing them to sponsor their dependents.
With the new guidelines, however, they do not have to do this anymore, as they can now apply for a family admission along with their first employment documents.
After entering the Kingdom, their families can then secure a permanent stay permit through one administrative channel, and are not required to go through other procedures.
This regulatory overhaul formally supports the overarching socio-economic vision underpinning Saudi Vision 2030 – to create a modern, sustainable competitive economy that can attract the world’s leading innovators in science, healthcare, engineering, and other fields.
By easing the practicalities of relocation on the ground, enabling higher immediate quality of life, and providing foreign specialists with more security, Saudi government authorities are taking concrete steps to elevate the Kingdom to becoming one of the world’s premier countries to recruit global intellectual talent.
In addition to smoothing bureaucratic procedures and procedures, the updated framework highlights the Kingdom’s intentions to be a more welcoming, inclusive, and adaptive environment for inbound foreign workers and their families as the Kingdom’s infrastructure and industrial megaprojects continue to grow at a rapid pace.
