Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — In a move to further tighten the noose on the so-called visa trade, the Ministry of Labor unveiled plans to introduce restrictions on the sponsorship transfer of expatriates arriving on work visas, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday. The ministry will soon set a limit on the number of workers that each firm is permitted to transfer within 12 months of recruitment. Those firms which violate the regulations in this regard will be barred from transferring the sponsorship of their workers for a period of 12 months, according to Taysir Al-Mofrej, director of the media center at the ministry. Al-Mofrej said that it came to the notice of the ministry that a large number of firms hired expatriate workers and then transferred their sponsorship to other firms within a few months. He said these firms were trying to mislead the ministry with false information so as to trade in work visas. However, Al-Mofrej said a certain number of transfers will be allowed in view of some humanitarian and other considerations. “Some workers may not be fit for the job for which they were originally hired, and in other cases workers may not be able to cope with the working conditions, or there may be some other factors, including humanitarian reasons,” he said. The ministry urged employers, employees and others concerned to submit their proposals and suggestions with regard to this issue on the ministry's portal. Al-Mofrej said that there will be an exemption for the transfer of sponsorship for contractors of government projects.
