October 23, 2025
Web desk
Saudi Arabia has formally abolished the decades-old sponsorship model known as the kafala system, marking a major shift in how foreign labour is regulated in the kingdom.
Under the system, in place since the 1950s, each migrant worker was tied legally and operationally to a single employer (or sponsor, known as kafeel) who controlled the worker’s residency, visa status, job transfers and even exit from the country.
Critics long argued that the model paved the way for abuse passport confiscation, withheld wages, restricted movement and labelled it close to modern-day slavery.
The reform, driven by the Saudi leadership under Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 agenda, removes the requirement for employer permission when a worker’s contract ends, and drops the need for an exit visa in many cases. Workers are now free to change jobs upon contract expiry without needing prior sponsor approval.
Approximately 13 million migrant workers including large numbers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines stand to benefit from the new rules.
While the announcement has been welcomed internationally, human-rights groups caution that significant enforcement challenges remainespecially in sectors like domestic work that were previously excluded from labour laws.
