The Residence Affairs Department of the Ministry of Interior (MOI) aims to improve the financial conditions of workers and address labor shortages following the deportation of 80,000 violators. The process is being expedited ahead of the September 12 deadline. Additionally, 70,000 visit visas have been issued in the past six months, with a focus on family reunification.

In July, a decision was made to allow domestic workers (under Article 20) to transfer to the private sector (under Article 18). Since then, the General Administration of Residency Affairs has received approximately 30,000 transfer requests. Between July 14 and mid-August, around 10,000 of these requests have been processed, while the remaining applications are still under review.

This decision provides domestic workers an opportunity to improve their financial circumstances by moving to the private sector. It also helps mitigate the severe labor shortages faced by companies and institutions, especially in the construction sector, which has been significantly impacted by the deportation of about 80,000 violators in recent months.

According to informed sources, the Residency Affairs department is working closely with the Public Authority for Manpower to speed up the transfer process between the two sectors before the September 12 deadline. These efforts are expected to revitalize the labor market, particularly in the construction sector, which is expanding due to the development of new residential cities. Additionally, these measures aim to address the issue of ‘bachelors’ residing in private residential areas, which has been a concern.

In another update, sources revealed that the Residency Affairs department has issued about 70,000 visit visas, including commercial, tourist, and family visas, over the past six months. The administration is reportedly making significant efforts to issue these visas according to specified terms and conditions, in line with the directives of First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef, who has emphasized the importance of reuniting residents with their families for humanitarian reasons.

Additionally, the sources mentioned that around 12,000 dependent/family visas have been issued to eligible applicants for their spouses and children under 15 years of age, with about 20,000 more applications still under review.