Businesses with more than two years of operation can obtain as many as 50 visas.
Saudi Arabia has reduced the maximum number of instant work visas available to newly established businesses to five, as part of efforts to regulate recruitment and ensure compliance with labour market requirements, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development’s Qiwa platform.
Qiwa said companies operating for less than two years will be eligible for up to five instant visas. For firms that have been in operation for more than two years, the limit increases to 50 visas per application or across multiple applications submitted within the same week at the entity level.
The platform said that businesses registered under the Establishment Programme and meeting the required conditions will initially be granted two visas, with further allocations becoming available as they increase their Saudisation rates.
Qiwa also set out 10 conditions for hiring non-Saudi workers from abroad. These include maintaining an active business status, holding valid work permits for employees, and possessing a valid commercial registration. Firms must also meet Saudisation requirements by staying in the medium green category or above, comply with the Wage Protection System, and ensure sufficient balances on government platforms such as Absher or Muqeem.
Other requirements include completing annual self-assessment compliance for companies employing 10 or more workers, registering employee work locations on the Qiwa platform, ensuring the employer is at least 18 years old, and maintaining adequate recruitment quota balances depending on the visa category.
