JEDDAH, 21 March 2007 — The Shoura Council has passed a draft law allowing, for a fee of SR1,000, the issuance of temporary work visas for six months and seasonal work visas for four months, informed sources said. The draft law must now be approved by the Cabinet.
According to Article Two of the law, the validity of visas cannot be extended or changed to a permanent visa. However, a person holding the visa can get multiple travel visas during the six-month period.
The maximum period of stay for a person holding a seasonal work visa is four months, the law said, adding that the visa, issued for work during the Haj season will expire on Muharram 15 every Hijrah year. “The fees for the two visas will be collected inside the Kingdom and deposited in the public treasury,” the law said.
Companies and individuals applying for a seasonal work visa must deposit a guarantee equal to the value of a return ticket or not less than SR1,000 for each worker.
The Finance Ministry will repay the amount after making sure the visa holder has left the Kingdom. The Labor Ministry will not issue a visa unless a letter is produced from the Finance Ministry on payment of the guarantee money.
The Labor Ministry will look into the applications for temporary and seasonal visas, identify the number of visas required, and types of jobs and their conditions. According to the law, laborers for Haj services must be recruited from different Muslim countries.
The ministry will provide copies of work contracts to Saudi missions abroad. Workers should not pay excessive amounts for visa and must be clearly informed that he is coming to the Kingdom for work and not for Haj.
The Foreign Ministry will provide a list of people given such visas to the Interior Ministry in order to make sure the individuals leave the Kingdom before the expiry of visas. When stamping the visa, Saudi missions must mention that “the visa is not good for Haj” in English and in local languages.
The worker should be given a copy of the contract to submit at his point of entry into the Kingdom. The Foreign Ministry should receive seasonal Haj duty visas on or before Shawwal 15 every year.
The law also allows the issuance of temporary work visas for exhibitions in Makkah and Riyadh during the Haj season.
