year	Temporary visas	Private companies	Governmental sector	Domestic sector	Total
2004	61,184	423,172	24,821	355,395	864,572
2005	72,715	352,924	32,034	339,985	797,658
2006	65,600	716,347	42,149	441,247	1,265,343
2007	66,117	1,141,601	51,935	445,106	1,704,759
2008	50,756	1,191,204	70,924	495,885	1,808,769
2009	42,926	932,494	61,143	496,092	1,532,655
2010	61,530	1,061,717	68,297	565,537	1,757,081
2011	69,395	1,181,911	110,223	647,796	2,009,325
2012	79,966	1,586,532	125,909	828,425	2,620,832

Source: Ministry of Labour

 

1. Definitions

 

“Temporary or seasonal visas are alloted for short-term and limited employment duration, for example for the provision of sevices during the Hajj season in Makkah and Madina, or in agriculture.

”

 

2. Data collection methodology

 

The labour visa allows the worker to enter Saudi Arabia. It is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In order to employ workers from abroad, the sponsoring company must first file a “Block Visa” request with the Ministry of Labor, requesting pre-approval to sponsor foreign employees.

Once the Block Visa request is approved, the sponsoring company in Saudi Arabia should obtain a visa authorization number and an electronic power of attorney authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia.

Foreign nationals may then apply for work visas through Saudi consular posts in their country of residence. Several documents are required before issuance of work visas, including medical certificate.

Therefore, work visas are more than the actual workers present in the country, as some eventually do not terminate the procedure, or are rejected at a later stage (entry visa; residency procedures…).

 

3. Institution which provides data

 

Ministry of Labour of Saudi Arabia

 

4. Data availability

 

Published in Ministry of Labour’s Statistical Yearbooks

MoL Yearbooks are available online at http://portal.mol.gov.sa/ar/Statistics/Pages/default.aspx (2004-2012)

Date of access: December 2013.

 

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