Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) has revealed that migrants on family (dependent) visas can work temporarily in the health and education sectors without needing to obtain a work visa.

According to the MHRSD, dependent migrants should register and receive a permit through “Ajeer”, a platform introduced by the Ministry to regulate temporary employment in the country.

Dependent migrants can only join establishments that are registered with the MHRSD, have an active commercial registration, are free of any imposed restrictions, and are not classified under the red band in the Nitaqat system.

As per Ajeer’s website, dependents eligible to apply for a work permit are limited to husbands, wives and their “mahrams” (close-blood relatives). Additional conditions for dependents include: 

• Holding a valid residency permit  
• Being at least 18 years old
• Possessing the necessary professional accreditations

The Ministry did not comment on the rationale behind the decision. However, as MR previously reported, it is not uncommon for schools in Saudi Arabia to illegally hire migrants on dependent visas, often under exploitative conditions. Schools and other establishments primarily hire these individuals to reduce the work permit and employment costs associated with formal employment contracts. While the precarious nature of this work will likely continue, providing an avenue to regularising the practice might provide workers with some degree of protection.

Recent statistics on the number of migrants in Saudi Arabia with dependent visas are not available. However, in 2017, it was estimated that around 2.2 million migrants held dependent visas. That year, Saudi Arabia introduced an expat dependent fee, which required migrants to pay a monthly charge for each dependent under their sponsorship. The number of dependents is likely to have decreased since then, and Saudi officials have recently hinted that the dependent fee might be removed.