JEDDAH — The Qiwa platform, affiliated with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, has announced that the maximum number of instant visas available to newly established businesses that are less than two years old has been reduced to five visas only. The platform further clarified that businesses operating for more than two years may obtain up to 50 instant visas, whether through a single application or multiple applications submitted at the entity level within the same week. According to Qiwa, businesses enrolled in the establishment program and meeting the prescribed requirements will initially be granted two visas. The visa allocation may subsequently be increased upon achieving a higher Saudization rate. The platform also highlighted 10 key requirements for recruiting non-Saudi workers from outside the Kingdom: The establishment must be active; work permits for all employees under the establishment must be valid; the establishment’s commercial registration must be valid, except for entities that are not required to hold a commercial registration; the establishment must fall within the Medium Green category or above; the establishment must be compliant with the Wage Protection Law and have no outstanding compliance issues; the establishment must maintain sufficient financial credit on the Ministry of Interior’s platforms such as Absher or Muqeem, with the required balance added through banking services; the establishment must complete the annual self-assessment requirement, applicable to establishments with 10 or more employees; the establishment must comply with assigning employee work locations through the Qiwa platform; the employer must be at least 18 years of age; and the establishment must have an available recruitment quota, depending on the visa type requested.Regarding visa categories, the platform explained that there are three types of visas: Permanent work visas—issued for the employment of non-Saudi workers under long-term contracts. Temporary work visa —issued for short-term employment contracts of non-Saudi workers for periods of three months or less. Hajj and Umrah temporary work visas—designated for workers engaged during the Hajj or Umrah seasons and issued subject to approval by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.
