Indians planning to apply for work visa to Saudi Arabia will now have to get their professional and educational qualifications pre-verified. The Saudi Mission in India said in a circular that professional verification processes for issuing work visas will be implemented from January 14.
“Professional verification will become one of the mandatory requirements for issuing work visas,” the circular said, according to a report in The New Indian Express.
The move mandating the pre-verification requirement was proposed six months ago as a strategy to control the number of Indian workers coming in given the limited capacity of qualified training centers in the country and to maintain quality standards.
It aims to facilitate easier access to Saudi Arabia’s labor market and improve worker retention rates. It also hopes to streamline the recruitment process and enhance the quality of the workforce in the state.
Under the new rules, establishment owners and human resource departments are being encouraged to verify the certificates and information provided by migrant workers.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia has also updated rules related to exit and re-entry visa extension and renewal of Iqama (residence permit) for expatriates.
The General Directorate of Passports in Saudi Arabia announced on X (formerly Twitter) that expatriates, including those currently outside the kingdom, can now renew their Iqama.
Indians in Saudi Arabia
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Indians are the second largest expatriate community in Saudi Arabia after Bangladesh, which leads with 2.69 million migrant workers.
By 2024, more than 2.4 million Indian workers are reportedly expected to live in Saudi Arabia, including 1.64 million in the private sector and 785,000 in domestic work.
Indian workers form an important part of Saudi Arabia’s labor market. However, there is widespread complaint that there are not enough testing centers where applicants can be verified.
“For example, testing centers for car drivers are located in Ajmer and Sikar in Rajasthan. Applicants, especially from the South, are forced to travel long distances to these locations, facing both linguistic and logistical issues. ,” the TNIE report quoted Haris Biran as saying. As a member of Rajya Sabha said.
Furthermore, under its 2030 Vision, the state aims to raise recruitment standards and attract skilled migrant talent, which will thereby increase recruitment standards.
