Corporate immigration in Saudi Arabia
From bringing talent into the Kingdom to keeping every visa, permit, and Iqama current, PROMISE keeps your workforce and stakeholders fully authorised to live and work in Saudi Arabia, compliantly, and on time.
Getting people in, and keeping them working legally
Employing foreign talent in Saudi Arabia is a sequence, not a single step: you classify the role correctly, bring the person in, authorise them to work, and register their residence, then keep all of it renewed as long as they’re here. Each stage runs through a different authority and platform (MHRSD and Qiwa for labour, Jawazat and Muqeem for residency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for entry), and a lapse at any point can stop someone working or travelling.
PROMISE manages the whole lifecycle, arrival, work authorisation, residency, renewals, and travel, so your people stay compliant and you’re never caught out by an expired permit.
Work visa, work permit, and Iqama, three different things
These are often lumped together, but they’re separate, and an employee needs all three.
Work visa
Permission to enter the Kingdom for work, the employment (work) visa, issued from your company’s block-visa allocation. One-time, at the start.
Work permit
Permission to work, issued through the Ministry of Human Resources (MHRSD) on the Qiwa platform. Renewed each year.
Iqama (residence permit)
Permission to live in the Kingdom, issued through Jawazat and managed on Muqeem. In practice the work permit and Iqama are renewed together annually.
Immigration, across the whole journey
Work visas, work permits & Iqama
Recruit talent from abroad and keep them authorised, from choosing the right job title and verifying qualifications to your block-visa allocation, work permits on Qiwa, and the Iqama and its renewals, including employer transfers.
Full detail on our Work Visas, Permits & Iqama pagePremium Residency (Premium Iqama)
Self-sponsored residency for investors, executives, and high-skill individuals, not tied to an employer. A different route for a different need.
Full detail on our Premium Residency pageLetters of Invitation (LOI)
Invitations that let business visitors and partners enter the Kingdom for meetings and short-term visits.
Full detail on our Letters of Invitation pageExit & re-entry visas
Processing exit and re-entry permits so your employees and their dependants can travel and return without disrupting their residency.
Immigration compliance monitoring
Tracking every expiry, renewal, and medical-insurance link across your workforce, so nothing lapses and no penalties accrue.
Compliance is continuous, and unforgiving
A work permit and Iqama are not set-and-forget: they’re renewed on a cycle, and a renewal now depends on other things being in order, valid medical insurance, consistent records, and your company’s Nitaqat standing, for example. Miss a renewal and an employee can suddenly be unable to work or travel, and penalties can follow. Because the residency, labour, and travel systems are linked, one lapse can ripple across the others.
Watching every date across your whole workforce and acting before deadlines is exactly what our immigration service does, one team, tracking it all, so an expiry never becomes an emergency.
Ongoing management, or handled on demand
Monthly
Take immigration as part of the monthly corporate services package, so your visas, permits, and Iqamas are managed continuously alongside HR and payroll.
On-demand
Individual, one-off needs, a Premium Residency application, or a letter of invitation, handled on demand.
Why companies choose PROMISE for corporate immigration
The full lifecycle
Arrival, work authorisation, residency, renewals, and travel, handled by one team, not split across providers.
Ahead of every deadline
We track expiries and renewal conditions across your workforce and act before they bite.
Aligned with your HR and payroll
Because we manage those too, your immigration data stays consistent across Qiwa, GOSI, and Muqeem.
Answers before you commit
What’s the difference between a work visa, a work permit, and an Iqama?
The work visa lets an employee enter the Kingdom; the work permit (issued on Qiwa) lets them work; and the Iqama lets them reside here. The work permit and Iqama are renewed each year. We handle all three.
How long does it take to bring an employee to Saudi Arabia?
It depends on your block-visa allocation and the worker’s home-country processing. Securing a block-visa quota commonly takes a few weeks, followed by authorisation, embassy stamping, and post-arrival steps. We give you a realistic timeline for your case.
Can an employee change employer?
Since the 2021 labour reforms, employees can transfer between employers through Qiwa, and in defined situations without the current employer’s consent. We manage transfers in and out and advise on what applies.
Is Premium Residency the same as an employee Iqama?
No. An employee Iqama is sponsored by the employer and tied to a job; Premium Residency (Premium Iqama) is self-sponsored and independent of any employer, aimed at investors, executives, and high-skill individuals. See our Premium Residency page.
Keep your people legal to live and work in the Kingdom.
Request a consultation and we’ll review your workforce and what needs handling.
Request a Consultation