Saudi Arabia is a land of opportunities with job openings in diverse fields. People from across the globe opt for jobs in KSA with great perks, tax-free income and excellent growth opportunities. Saudi Arabia is rapidly changing under vision 2030 and job market is also getting positive juice from such initiatives. Other than standard full time jobs, there are short-term temporary options also becoming available. Saudi Arabia Temporary Work Visa is a great flexible option for companies to benefit from. In this article we discuss important details about this KSA temporary work visa option.
What is Saudi Arabia Temporary Work Visa?
Typically for long-term jobs, employers hire resources locally or from outside the kingdom by following a formal hiring process. This process involves stamping of work visa for the employee and later issuance of iqama once the employee is in the kingdom. E.g. In case of Pakistan, I already explained Saudi Arabia Work Visa Stamping in Pakistan: Complete Step By Step Guide. Somewhat similar or slightly different process is applicable for KSA work visa for India, Bangladesh, Philippine or any other country.
However, not all jobs require such permanent or long-term resources. There are many scenarios where companies need some workers with certain specialties for a short-term assignment. This is where Temporary Work Visa comes handy. Saudi Arabia temporary work visa is a type of work visa which allows employers to hire workers for limited work duration.
As per details available on Qiwa Portal, KSA temporary work visa is issued for a duration of 3 months. A worker on such temporary worker visa can stay for three months after entering KSA. However, the visa can be extended for another 3 months by the hiring firm if needed.
Saudi Arabia temporary work visa can be issued using e-service provided by Qiwa Business portal by the employers. The process is well streamlined and efficient enough.
Is KSA Temporary Work Visa Really Useful?
Temporary visa option is a quick and efficient option for companies to benefit from expertise of some specific professionals without opting for a lengthy hiring process. This option is equally lucrative for the professional workers as well. An employee manages to earn decent income by working on such short-term projects and doesn’t feel locked in one job forever. There are some professionals who prefer to work on short-term assignments to gain new exposures and then opt for new opportunities next.
Although, you may get higher salary for such short term projects based on your skills and experience; you have to understand that you won’t be getting those perks which are associated with long-term job contracts. E.g. there is no such End of Service Award benefit associated with such short-term assignment based temporary jobs.
Is Every Company Eligible for Saudi Arabia Temporary Work Visa Program?
There are certain requirements to be met in order to be eligible for this program. Some of the eligibility criteria points are listed below:
- The company must be in active state.
- Commercial registration should be valid and the company should have a CR number. This is exception for the activities that don’t require commercial registration.
- Nitaqat color of the company must be a minimum of medium green.
- Enterprises under the same unified number must not have any expired work permit
- The company should have sufficient credit in the national unified number of the enterprise on Absher.
Other Important Points to Note About KSA Temporary Work Visa
- The number of temporary work visas issued through this facility has no impact on the nitaqat color of the company.
- The visa is issued through Qiwa Business Platform without a need of any specific documentation process.
- The workers hired through such temporary visa service won’t require any iqama or permanent work visa in KSA during their short-term assignment.
- Temporary work visa issued is valid for a period of 1 year. However, after entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; worker can stay for 3 months. The duration can be further extended for the same period though.