02-08-2025
New labour laws in Saudi Arabia are big news for migrant workers as..., especially good for Indians due to...
New Delhi: The Saudi Arabian government has come up with new labour laws for workers. In this, workers have been given two months to resign, change jobs or leave the country. It has been reported on Saudi Arabia's Qiva platform that a grace period of 60 days has been made mandatory before declaring an employee 'absent from work' after the contract ends. This change in rules will directly affect foreign workers. Indians will be especially affected in this because a large part of the foreigners working in Saudi Arabia are Indian workers. In such a situation, it is important for Indians to know these rules. What do the new rules say?
The Qiva platform of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of Saudi Arabia now gives 60 days' grace before declaring an employee absent from work. This means that employers can no longer mark employees absent from work immediately after the contract expires. They will have to wait at least 60 days, provided the employee's residence permit remains valid. During this period, disconnected employees can re-contract with their current employer, move to a new employer or leave Saudi Arabia. Failure to take action within 60 days will automatically remove their name from the employer's records. From which date have the new rules been implemented?
The Qiva labour platform has made these significant changes to employment-contract rules from July 31, 2025, the Saudi Gazette reported. It said the new rule gives employees time to legalise their status and employers time for due process. This helps stabilise changes in the labour market and reduces the risk of a sudden loss of legal residency.
An employer can report an employee as absent only if the employee has no active contract and the iqama is valid for at least 60 days. During this time, a disconnected employee will have the option to re-contract with the same employer, move to another job through Qiva, or leave Saudi Arabia within a 60-day window.
If no action is taken within this period, i.e. 60 days, the employee will be considered absent and removed from the employer's records. Information about this will be given to the Ministry of Human Resources and Home Affairs. Even after this, employees can access salary and service certificates to verify their previous or current roles.
