A new branch of the Labor Office exclusively for women has been opened in the Al-Mohammadiya district in Jeddah. The Labor Office director in Jeddah, Qusai Bin Ibrahim Felali, said the Ministry of Labor move, which sees 14 women employed at the branch, would help protect women's rights. Felali said that sponsors and employees who submit requests in person would have their procedures processed instantly, and companies submitting five transactions or fewer would also be dealt with immediately. The office, according to Felali, completes 2000 transactions daily, despite a shortage in staff. Mousa Saleem Al-Ahmadi, Head of the Work Permit Section at the Labor Office, said that the new system had accelerated work procedures, and noted that applications for the renewal of work iqama permits could be submitted three months before the iqama expiry date.
