TDS Desk:

Saudi authorities have announced that expatriates in Saudi Arabia can now extend their visa validity and renew the residency permits of dependent members (domestic workers) even while staying abroad.

According to a report by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Saudi Passport Directorate (Jawazat) said that expatriates can now renew the residency permits of their dependents and domestic workers.

Additionally, they can extend the validity of single or multiple exit and re-entry visas from outside Saudi Arabia at their convenience.

The Passport Directorate also mentioned that these services can be accessed through the electronic platforms “Absher” and “Muqeem” after paying the prescribed fees.

It is worth saying that Saudi Arabia is home to a large number of expatriate workers.

Recently, the Saudi government has implemented labour reforms to make its labour market more attractive and competitive.

These initiatives aim to ensure the protection of contractual rights for workers.

Under the new regulations, the notice period for cancelling indefinite employment contracts has been set at 30 days for workers and 60 days for employers.

The new rules also require employers to ensure that their actions do not harm or create unequal opportunities for workers.

Additionally, maternity leave in Saudi Arabia has been extended from 10 weeks to 12 weeks.

Another amendment has set the maximum probationary employment period at 180 days.

In 2020, Saudi Arabia introduced significant labor law reforms that brought major improvements to the sponsorship system.

These reforms, which came into effect the following year, allowed expatriate workers to change jobs without the employer’s permission and redefined the rules for exit and re-entry visas.

Under the new rules, employers are obligated to cover the cost of the return ticket for workers if the employment contract is terminated.