Saudi Arabia to end sponsorship system

The Saudi Ministry of Labour are set to draft a new law which could suspend the sponsorship system. Council members are to mull over the law draft in the next few months for final approval.

The report claims that the Council of Ministers will be discussing various points and issues accompanying the law in upcoming proceedings. If the law is suspended, it could benefit foreign workers.

If the law changes, tension between sponsors and expatriate employees will hopefully decrease. Employers will no longer be legally allowed to hold the passports of their employees. Nor will sponsors have control over whether the expatriate worker can bring their families to the kingdom to stay or visit.

Mandatory insurance policy is also proposed in the draft, guaranteeing financial rights to both employers and employees, covering financial entitlements for over a span of a minimum of six months.

Saudi officials have come under major pressure recently over the country's employment laws, which are negatively affecting the foreign workforce in the kingdom. They also pose some human rights violations according to international law.