JEDDAH – Syrian expatriates can transfer their sponsorship without the permission of their sponsors in case of expiry of work contract or termination of the contract by the sponsor, according to a source at the Ministry of Labor. The source said that Chad nationals are included among those expatriates for whom there is still a ban on transfer of sponsorship. The ministry has no plan to withdraw SR2,400 annual levy charged for work permit from foreign workers. The levy was implemented in November 2012 with an objective of supporting Saudization and reducing dependence on foreign workforce. The source said that the Nitaqat Saudization program was instrumental in creating jobs for more than 750,000 Saudis in the private sector in the last two years. “More than four million expatriates have corrected their status either by transferring their sponsorship or changing profession during the seven-month amnesty period. This also led to deportation of more than one millions illegal workers,” said the source, adding that the major challenge for the ministry is to find suitable placements for thousands of Saudi graduates.
