Saudi Arabia abolishes foreign worker sponsorship system Kafala

Saudi Arabia abolishes foreign worker sponsorship system Kafala.

Saudi Arabia has abolished the foreign worker sponsorship system, ‘Kafala’, and replacing it with a new contract between employers and employees which allows expatriate workers to enter and exit the Kingdom without the need for an employer’s permission.

According to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources the new conditions will allow migrant workers to transfer to other jobs upon the expiry of their work contract without the need for their former employer’s approval.

A ‘final exit’ stipulation will also enable a migrant worker to leave immediately after the end of their contract, with an online notification sent to an employer without requiring his or her consent.