Saudi Arabia to abolish sponsorship (Kafala) System
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Riyadh: Saudi Arabia is all set to officially abolish the sponsorship system (Kafala system) in the Kingdom after 7 decades since its implementation. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development will officially publicize the initiative aimed at improving the contractual relationship between the migrant worker and the employer, according to Arab News sources.
The current sponsorship system binds expatriate workers to their sponsors or employers, who are responsible for the employees' visa and legal status. The workers are to be permitted by their sponsors in order to change jobs, open a bank account, or even to leave the country on vacation.
After the launch of The Kingdom's Vision 2030, the country is set to embark on a series of economic reforms which will benefit expatriates. Under these reforms, the relationship between employers and expatriate workers will be limited, primarily construction and domestic workers.
The KSA expects that this initiative will contribute to improving working conditions for expatriates by safeguarding workers' rights, escalating their productivity in the labour market and increasing the kingdom's competitiveness to attract international talent.